The Dark Prince
by Papercanvas
Summary: Helena finds a way back to the Land of Light and Shadow, but realizes Valentine is in a predicament that will endanger both their lives.. Updates: It is done! *Please feel free to write a review* ;
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Clean this room, Helena, Nan will be coming over shortly. Make sure you don't wrinkle that new leotard I sewed you. Those sequins might fall off." I could hear pans clashing in the kitchen.

"Oh, it's not that dirty, Mum…" I looked around the room for a minute, and decided it probably did need some tidying up. "I'll be out in 15 minutes." Taking the socks off the ceiling fan, I bent down to pick up a paper mask off the floor. It had a purple stripe down its nose, on the creamy smooth surface. I stood up and examined it. A week ago I was with Valentine, we had found the mirrormask, and returned my Land of Light and Shadow to its' former, strange self. I saved the White Queen, and Mum came out of surgery all well again. Now I was going to school, helping Mum and Dad with the circus, the same stuff I had done before being thrown into the drawings that lined my room.

"Helena, are you finished? Nan is here, come have some tea with us."

Walking down the hallway, I sat down on the sofa and took up one of the cups of tea, then let myself take a small sip. Nan and Mum came into the living room, so I put down the tea, got up and gave Nan a kiss on her cheek. "Hello Nan, how're you."

"Oh lovely dear, lovely. Your Mum and I were just talking about some of your drawings. They're so unique! And the posters for the circus are lovely as well, dear", Nan chirped.

"Those pictures of that lad in the mask with the small eyes and the pointy hair are just so wonderful!"

I gulped and smiled politely, but I felt a small pit in my stomach start growing. The whole week I had spent most of my free time sketching Valentine. I wanted to juggle with him, go exploring with him, but I wasn't sure if I could get back to the Land of Light and Shadow. I still had the silver Mirrormask, but I wasn't sure if I could still use it, or even had time in between everything to go back. I'm sure my parents would notice that I was gone, and that would end up in a big mess….

"Helena, dear, are you feeling alright?"

"Yes dear, you look like you just fell off the high wire."

Snapping my head back, I looked at both of them, scared that I thought they knew what I was thinking. "Fine, fine! Sorry, I'm just sleepy, that's all, Mum."

"Alright love, you can go take a nap, I'll wake you up when supper is ready." Mum gave me a smile, and Nan hugged me goodbye.

Lying backwards on my bed, I glanced at a picture of Valentine I had drawn yesterday. I tried to think back to when he and I were in the Dreamlands. Squeezing my eyes, I saw the pond where he skipped rocks, and scribbles and doodles were floating around us. However, my head began to sting rather violently. In the small, domed room, he had said something about slipping out to get help. But I knew he just wanted those stupid, filthy jewels. Sure, he had apologized for having turned me into the Dark Queen, and I knew he meant it by the way he had acted so humble when he came to rescue me. Yet at that moment, in the palace, I just wished I could have grabbed him, perhaps smack him into some sense. It was so painful, knowing he could forget about me that way.

I held my shoulders tight.

The sun woke me, glinting through a crack in the curtains. I had been resting my arm over my head, but I just took the nearest pillow and flung it at the window. My clock flashed a bright red seven, but I just turned my head around and faced the other way. That's when Mum opened the door.

"Time to get up, sleepyhead."

I let out an unintelligible mumble.

"C'mon, don't make me send in the clowns."

Thinking quickly, I tried to make my most miserable face.

"Mum, I don't feel so well…"

"Oh really…" She gave me a suspicious look and raised one eyebrow and said

"Let me go get the thermometer", while vanishing out the door.

Leaning over my bed, I grabbed my flashlight, turned it on and pressed it into my forehead. I bent down to try and hear if Mum was coming back.

Hearing creaking, I pushed the button down and hid the flashlight under the bed again.

"Here we go…"

Poking under my tongue, I heard the thermometer beep seconds later.

"Well, you have a normal temperature…"

"Check my forehead Mum, I really feel horrible."

Placing her palm on my head, she paused.

"Poor dear, you are burning up. Ok, well no school today. Get some more rest."

She kissed my forehead and quietly walked out of the room, leaving a sliver of the door open.

As soon as I heard her head down the hall, I slid out of the covers and pulled out the mirrormask out of my nightstand. With both hands, I put it on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

I didn't count on the mask instantaneously taking me right into the Land of Light, instead of trying to find a window in one of my drawings. I was in an alley, behind a large yellow building. Stepping over some shards of pottery, I saw some odd shoe creatures lurching along the street, and a few other creatures were crowding the street as well. Trying to look inconspicuous, I shuffled along on one side of the road. A plaza started opening up a few yards in front of me, and a group of people had gathered in a semi-circle around someone near a sidewalk. Gently as I could, I edged by some of the townsfolk to see what was going on.

"I don't think you realize who I am sir, I am an important man. I have a Tower. And I believe those are mine."

Grinning, I recognized that voice.

Valentine was standing opposite a large man in a dark green robe and a bright blue turban. He was round and cylinder shaped, and loomed over him, while Valentine stared up straightly up at him.

"Those were my rings, and you stole them from me. Now give em' back, or I'll report you to the guard, after I throw you to the ground."

"Tell you what. You tell me what is inscribed on the interior, and I'll know they're yours, and if you're wrong, these nice people will know they're mine."

A long pause swept over the large man with the turban.

"Um...er…I think…they say…."

"They say ….nothing. There is no lettering on the inside. Now leave me be, sir."

Valentine headed off into the crowd, leaving the man stumped, as he sat on a low wall and tried to think about what had just happened.

Following him, I almost missed him duck into a dusty brown tent on the outskirts of town.

I tapped Valentine on the shoulder as he sat down alone on a crate.

"Look sir, I can explain everything…" he said with a bit of guilt, and turned around.

"Helena! Good fiddlers, you scar'd me half to death!" he yelped with confusion.

My face was almost hurting, I was smiling so much. "So whose rings are those, Valentine?"

"They're mine, of course," he said with a smug face. "What're you doing in this place, this is no place for you. Aren't you supposed to be in that place, that you're...from?" He cocked his head a little.

"The mirrormask got me here; I was able to put it on! That means I can come here whenever I want!"

"Really? Fantastic! But, what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean what are we going to do? Let's go explore the Dreamlands, or get some nice juggling balls"-

"We could do that, but my Tower ran off again, I'd like to find it before sundown..."

"Oh what, all you got to do is apologize, what'd you say this time?"

"Well it didn't exactly run off…I think someone stole it. It's quite frightening..."

"But who would steal your Tower? I would think it'd be more willing to answer to you then some stranger..."

"I thought I saw it flying towards the land of Shadow the other day, but I can't be sure. It's a scary place, no place for a Tower…" Valentine looked up longingly towards the sky.

"Let's go rescue it. Maybe the Dark Queen made a mistake or her daughter is up to something. I'm sure we'll get it back, somehow."

"Alright, but I'll have none of those sphinxes, I've run out of riddles lately..."

We both trotted off along the road leading out of town. Valentine headed off quite fast, so I knew this was important to him.

"Wait up, Valentine!" I yelled after him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The black trees spiraled up into the sky, which was darker then usual. Valentine stayed close, but I didn't mind. We were both scanning around us, waiting for something to pounce, however it was just paranoia.

"Didn't believe I'd be back in this forest again," I remarked.

Valentine was silent, but he abruptly stopped and held onto a sleeve of my shirt, to stop me from walking as well.

"Shh. Quiet." He whispered.

The usual buzzing in the air had ceased, and we were alone, looking down the path. Darkness enveloped the sky miles and miles away towards the horizon.

"That over there is where the Dark palace is. Have to be careful. The Queen might be nice to you, but the creatures in these woods will not. Stick by me, you'll be fine..."

He paused and started looking up towards the sky, then let go of my sleeve and motioned for us to continue walking.

"I thought Valentine's weren't supposed to be afraid." I said coolly.

"I am _not_ afraid, I'm _terrified_. I mean, last time when I went to the palace…." he trailed off, glancing at me while I stared at him, intent on hearing what he had to say.

"Last time the situation was real bad." he finished quickly, then cleared his throat.

"You mean when you pawned me off for jewels?"

"It was a mistake Helena. I didn't know what the Princess had done." he replied in a more serious tone.

Valentine was looking straight ahead, avoiding my eyes.

"Do you even _know_ how that – ..." I was cut off when I suddenly felt the ground shake back and forth.

Panicked, he looked around to see if anything was moving, besides us.

Then he pointed towards the palace. "Look!" he exclaimed.

Farther away, towards the palace, we could see a glimmer of white light in the sky, followed by Valentine's tower slowly landing behind the building.

"But why did it have to come here?" he asked to himself.

"Well whoever took it obviously lives there, maybe I can persuade the Queen to

help us get it back."

We started walking towards the palace, while Valentine had a shocked (as far as I could tell) look on his face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

The gate was wide open, and lots of small, triangular torches lines the grey walls as we strode into the main gate.

Hearing voices, we slowed our pace until we arrived at a large bridge overlooking the great chasm in the palace. The Queen was talking to the Princess, in a seemingly high-spirited conversation, when I noticed another figure sitting in a chair on the spire. It was a kid, probably no older than I was, dressed in the same fashion as the Princess. His dark eyes were looking over at the mother and daughter, waiting for something. Black, sticky hair crowned his head, as he folded his arms and hunched over, his black boots tapping impatiently on the stone floor.

"Oh, what is it Gerald? You've been doing that for the last ten minutes."

"Can I go now, Mama? I want to see my new toy."

The Queen glared slightly at the young boy now named as Gerald.

"Fine, fine, be back shortly. I want you to have some ice cream with us later." She said it with a hint of annoyance.

The boy hopped out of his chair, and skipped out of the room through a tunnel behind the Queen.

"Oh what am I going to do with that boy…"she huffed.

"Helena….Helena..."Valentine whispered into my ear. "Perhaps we should follow that boy, I think he has my tower."

"Alright, you go follow him. Let me talk to the Queen first."

He snuck off, holding himself against the wall unnecessarily. Afterward he turned into the tunnel.

I coughed loudly to get the ladies' attention. "Excuse me, I'm sorry for interrupting…"

Both the Queen and the Princess twisted around to look at me. The Queen broke into a pleasant but equally creepy smile. The Princess pouted.

"Helena, darling. We weren't expecting you. Come in, come in."

Stepping along a rocky bridge, I ambled over to her, where she immediately gave me a warm hug.

"Hello…" I shyly offered to the Princess.

She didn't change her expression.

"How are you, child? I hope everything is ok." said the Queen.

"I'm fine. I just thought I would visit you, since I was in…the area..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Meanwhile, Valentine was tiptoeing behind the boy named Gerald, following him through the winding tunnel. He was sure this was the person who had somehow stolen the Tower from him.

The light at the end of the tunnel was glowing brighter, and Valentine noticed he could glimpse the sky. The tunnel ended, so he looked around rapidly for something to hide behind, and crouched behind a large stalactite. He then peered around the rock to gaze straight upon his Tower, beaming with all its Tower-ness.

"Now, let's see the inside." squeaked Gerald.

Valentine caught himself from leaping for the boys' throat. He crouched back down, but glowered at him with daggers in his eyes. The Gerald boy walked slowly around the Tower, feeling the outside walls with his fingers.

"Stop doing that!" Valentine wanted to scream, so he screamed in his head instead.

The boy then stopped and then placed his hand on the knob and opened the door.

That was until Valentine gripped the stalactite with such ferocity that his legs gave out, and one of them slipped on a small rock, shooting outside the cover of the hiding place.

The commotion caused Gerald to spin around.

"I see you! Come out this second!" shouted the boy.

Cursing himself silently, Valentine put his hands up and crawled out. Gerald squinted at him, with his hands on his hips. Trying to be intimidating, he puffed his chest out and demanded, "Who are _you_?"

"My name is Valentine, and that is _my_ Tower! St- Stop touching it already! I mean honestly…" he rambled.

"Is that so? Well then, I will have to have you arrested." The boy quipped.

"What?" asked Valentine, his head cocked as a net was flung over him by five spider-like creatures. Then everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

"Um, may I ask if you have a bathroom?" I asked as polite as I could. "Certainly dear, it's over down that hallway, the red door on your left." said the Queen, while concluding the tour of the palace. She motioned for the Princess to follow her to the dining room. "We will be having ice cream in the dining room when you are done." The Queen's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Thank you!" I shouted, and turned around and dropped into a crevice in the wall to hide. Then I got out and walked past the red door, looking for any way into that tunnel Valentine and Gerald went into.

I found where the hallway split, and walked into the one that looked most promising. It was while before I saw daylight. However, when I got to the end, there was nothing but the sky and the rocky ground.

"Valentine! Valentine are you here?" I whispered loudly. I got no answer back. The yard was empty, and I saw some tracks that led to the center of the yard, where they became a jumbled mess. Something must have happened to Valentine, and not anything good.

Behind me, the palace walls led to a set of stone stairs, to what I assumed was a basement. I bent down near it and set my ear against a wooden door.

"Let me see it! My Tower will never listen to you!"

"Watch you mouth. Put him over there."

I jumped back, but not because of the conversation. A loud, agonizing yell reverberated from the door to my ear. My heart pummeled itself against my chest as I heard footsteps, and I jumped out of the way and into an embankment on the other side of the cellar door.

Out walked Gerald and his bodyguard. Then they turned the corner to the tunnel entrance.

I tiptoed down the stairs and tried the door handle. It held fast at first, but I took the key I still had for opening my diary, and imagined it transforming into a skeleton key. I slid it into the keyhole and pushed the door aside, and spread out my arms to feel for a wall in the dark. I felt wood and dirt, and then cold metal bars rippled under my fingers. A shard of sunlight fell through a barred window, onto a hunched, seated figure in a cell. It turned up its head toward me.

"Who's that?" it whispered suddenly.

"Valentine?" I whispered back.

We both rushed toward the iron bars.

"That _brat_ has my Tower, and he has the gall to throw me in' ere!"

Before I could get another word out, a large figure, covered in hair, stepped out of the shadows.

"Well what 'ave we got here, another trouble maker? Perhaps you'd like to join him?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The guard threw Helena into the cell with such force, her back hit the wall as Valentine ran to help.

"No more mischief," snarled the guard. He then exited the basement.

"Helena, are you ok? Here, be careful…." he said as tried to hold Helena's shoulders up.

"Ow, ow..." Helena closed her eyes as she tried to prop herself up against the wall.

"I've tried everything, but the bars won't budge, and the guard has the key. I'm afraid we're out of options."

"Ah…well …" she paused, looking around the room. That was when she noticed a strange spot on Valentine's face, right below the end of his mask. She leaned in closer.

"What's that on your face? Are you bleeding?" she asked urgently.

He placed his hand on his cheek, smearing the trail of blood, and then looked at his fingertips.

"Oh that…the guard just cuffed me there, that's all..."

Abruptly, Helena touched her fingers along his cheek, where the blood had been.

They stared at each other for a few minutes, until Helena looked away and pretended to dust off her shirt. Valentine looked off and ran his finger along the iron bars in the little cell. They both rested along the back wall for a while.

Helena woke up from a door slamming open. Searching for the source of the noise, the cell door opened and two muscled arms seized her shoulders, and dragged her out as she screamed.

Valentine, in his dream, was merrily lying on a nice fluffy bed. A large plate with delectable fruit was sitting on it, and he and Helena were laughing about something, there was a sparkle in her eyes…and then in a terrible moment, a piercing scream came from her lips…

"Valentine! Heeelp!"

He opened his eyes to Helena being yanked out of the cell, the look in her eyes as frightening as anything he'd ever seen.

"Helena! What are you doing to her?"

"I don't believe that is any of your business, now is it?"

Gerald was peering at him mockingly through the cell bars.

"We're going to have a small chat, she and I. You wait here, like a good idiot," he sneered.

Valentine tried to get up, but a violent ache caused him to fall back down to his knees.

He last saw Helena being lead out a different entryway in the cellar, by the guard, while Gerald took a last glance at him and closed the door.

During the rest of the day, he could not figure out what this _child_ wanted with his Tower, and more importantly, why he had taken Helena. She didn't do anything at all to deserve this. He had stooped down below the window holding his chin with one arm, wondering.

To his horror, when the sun began to sink, and the shadows on the floor stretched, he began hearing disturbing things. Through the walls, he thought he heard talking, followed by terrible screams, Helena's screams. They tortured him.

"Helena…my Helena…why…" he whispered to himself. He held his head in his hands.

He woke up again, but this time, it was still dark in the room. The other door had opened, and a black hand thrust the cell door ajar, casting Helena from the darkness. She skidded delicately along the floor, not very far from Valentine.

"Helena!" he scrambled along the floor, pulling her gently into his arms.

"You animal! You coward! She has nothing to do with my Tower!" he howled.

All he heard in return was a door slam shut. Helena, semi-conscious, curled up in Valentines arms. He was trying to help tend to a scrape on her forehead. Patting it softly, he cleaned it up. Almost automatically, he bent down and kissed her forehead. In an awkward moment, he realized what he had just done; however, he just sighed, and laid his head back along the wall.

In the morning, it was silent in the cell. Helena was awake, gazing at Valentine while he was still asleep. Or she thought he was. It was hard to tell through the silly looking mask he wore. She was still groggy from the interrogation, in which the guard had tied her to a chain, and every wrong answer to Gerald meant being dropped inch by inch into a cage with an aggressive, shaggy creature. It had been too overwhelming to not cry out, she had attempted to stay calm and assertive, but the creature had convulsed and leaped at her, and she truly thought she was going to die there. She had no idea why he was asking her any questions at all, especially about Valentine's Tower. Most of it was a complete mystery to her, other than it had arguments with Valentine and it flew. That brutish child was nothing like his mother and almost exactly like the Princess, she thought.

Valentine fluttered his eyes a bit, then focused them on what seemed to be Helena, looking closely at him.

"What's this? What'd I do now?" he whispered, then smiled. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Just some bad nightmares."

Valentine scooted over a little. "Not to pry, but are you ok from last night, I mean?"

Helena sat still for a minute. "Yeah, yeah, he just tried to ask me about your Tower, but I just told him off." She didn't want him to know about the shaggy beast they had threatened her with.

"That bloody little monster, he's after me Tower for his own greedy purposes. I tell ya, no one has respect for a man's Tower nowadays…"he remarked, shaking his head.

"What do we do now?"

Valentine paused. "I'm not sure."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

During the next day, Gerald took Valentine for questioning, but to no avail. Valentine was shoved back to the cell, but had several bruises and welts to show for his efforts.

"You know, I expected you to be more caring about her and the Tower, but I suppose you're too stubborn. A pity..." Gerald winced at them both.

When he left, Helena crept over to him, tearing a strip of cloth off the bottom of her shirt. She began patting over his welts with water they got in tin cups. He sat upright and hugged his knees.

"For a hairy mutant, he slaps like a girl." retorted Valentine.

She couldn't hold back a big smile. "He slaps like a what?"

"Pardon me, that guard slaps like a silly girl who wears poor rabbits for shoes," he grinned.

She shoved him lightly, and went back to tap the cloth on his welts. He lifted his hand and touched the still pink cut on her forehead. Helena cringed, but went back to patting.

"Sorry, I thought it was better."

"It's alright. It just stings a little…"

"So Helena…why _did_ you… come back…"

She stopped patting. Looking at him, she noticed an odd, sincere expression on his face.

"Um…" She looked at the floor. "I just wanted to, that's all. I wanted to see how you were doing."

Valentine bent his neck down, trying to see her face.

"That's all?"

"Yup." She took a deep breath, and then looked up slowly, not completely meeting his gaze. But when she looked up to his face, she realized it was closer then she had first seen it.

She had closed her eyes without notice, and then felt something strange. A rushing sensation from the hollow of her stomach to the back of her neck; on her lips, a soft brush of skin. She cracked her right eye open a tad, and saw that it was actually Valentine's lips. They felt nice and warm. His lips opened and closed onto hers, and she did the same. She heard him sigh very quietly, and gently take his fingers and touch her lower back. Helena flinched a little, but settled back. They kissed for a few more minutes, then Valentine withdrew, breathing heavily. He rested his head in the curve of her neck. She felt the heat of his breath, then become conscious of the swiftness of her own breathing.

"Good night, Helena." he said drowsily, kissing her neck.

"Valentine…I love you…" She could tell he was already asleep. Smiling, she laid her head back and went to sleep as well.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

I couldn't tell when or how I was standing up, but I found myself opening my eyes to Gerald, giving me his most unimpressed stare.  
Behind him, sunlight flooded into the cell, which I realized I was outside of. Valentine was arched up against a corner, sleeping.

Feeling freedom, I immediatly threw my body to the right, only to be jerked back by jangling chains. Iron cuffs held fast onto my wrists.

"What do you want? I told you, I don't --..."

"Oh, you're much more useful than you think, girly." Gerald cut me off.

"You are going to help me figure out how that tower actually works." He crossed his arms.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb." Narrowing his eyes, he motioned to his guard, who pulled my chains, and directed me out the cellar door. I glanced back at Valentine sitting in the cell, but he was still sleeping. Worry swept through my head, however, when I noticed one of his feet was tucked under his leg, at an odd angle. I just hoped it wasn't too bad of an injury.

The light outside was glaring furiously, and I closed my eyes. Promptly, I tripped and fell in the dust.

"How pathetic..."

I stood back up and stared angrily at Gerald. Valentine's tower shadowed him while he stood in front of a large door.

"Well c'mon then, we don't have all day."

The guard pushed me, and I followed Gerald into the tower. Inside, the tower was dark,and it had a musty odor. Most everything was covered in a thick dust. Gerald slid his index finger along of the window sills, inspecting the place.

"So..." I tried to guess where this was going.

"So. I Want you to tell me how to drive this thing." He spun around on his heels in a very matter-of-fact way. Scrunching my face up, I tried hard to think of an answer he would believe.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Several silent moments later, the expression on his face soured.

"Don't you even how to turn this thing on?"

"I don't suppose you could ask it to turn on..." I said nervously.

"Ugh..." Gerald sighed in frustration. Taking his right hand, he ran it through his gleaming hair.

He then began to thump and bang on the walls, threw books off the shelves, trying to find a switch.

"Hey! Stop that! He worked really hard to organize those!"

He stopped, fascinated by an object on the wall.

Carefully, I saw him place his hand on a small hat rack sticking out. With a sick smile, he thrust it upside down.  
The tower suddenly jolted, causing me to fall.  
I screamed, and scrambled to a window, expecting to see the Dark Palace get smaller, but to my surprise, we hovered just barely over the palace. We weren't moving. This was odd.

Gerald seemed to be in the same shocked state as I was. We both stayed still as we waited for some inevitable drop. That's when he edged up to the front door, and opened it slowly.  
Still, nothing happened. However, I saw that several hairy guards had walked out of the Palace, along with the Queen, and they were all gazing up at us. She appeared stunned and enraged at the same time.

"Gerald! What in heaven's sake are you doing? That is not how I expect you to play with your toys! Get down now!" She shrieked.

A terrified look morphed onto his face, and I couldn't help but chuckle. He gave me a dirty look, but forced the hat rack back to its original position anyway. The tower sunk to the ground, and landed with a soft clunk. Gerald got to his feet, locked the door behind him, and sheepishly strode out of the tower.

I realized he had just locked me in the tower. Walking over to one of the windows, I saw the building with the cellar door in the distance. Gerald meanwhile, was being tugged at the ear by the Queen, into the palace tunnel. My eyes widened as I recognized a pale figure in the shallow stairwell of the basement. Valentine limped up to the tower, then saw me in the window.

"Helena! How'd you get in my tower?" His voice was muffled through the thick glass, and I smiled back at him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

I pointed towards the door, trying to get him to realize the door was to his left.

"Oh, sorry." Valentine limped again towards the door.  
He took out a golden key from a fold in his robes, and unlocked the door.  
Inside, he carefully looked around.

"My goodness! What did you do in here, have a party?" He hollered.

"Gerald tried to fly it. When I told him I didn't know how to turn it on, he trashed the place."

"That little monkey? Did this? I'll have his head!" He paced back and forth,  
swinging his hands wildly.

Then he freezed."Why didn't you do stop him!?"

I was taken aback. "Valentine, I couldn't do anything. He wouldn't listen to me!" Then I flung my wrists forward,  
showing him the iron cuffs still immobilizing my arms.

"Oh dear." He walked over, tugging at the cuffs.  
"Come over there." He motioned towards a corner he was striding over to. I stood in the corner,  
while he got out three green juggling balls.Then he took out a very large, brassy one. Practicing, he pretended to aim for the chain connecting the cuffs on my arms. However when I noticed the large one was made of metal,  
I yelled.

"Hold on! What're you doing? Your going kill me with that one!"

He stopped. "Do you or do you not trust me?" Valentine asked.

"Of course I do but that ball-"

"Do you trust me?" he uttered haltingly.

I watched him, my eyes furrowed in uneasiness.  
"Yes, I do."

"Right." He coiled the arm holding the metal ball back, preparing to throw. I held out my arms, while twisting my neck back, anticipating a painful blow.

With a slight yanking motion, I felt the chain go slack.

I looked back at Valentine, who was smugly looking back at me, a fist laying on his hip in a truimpant pose.

"Oh, you dolt." I couldn't help but laugh. On that note, he spun to his right, glancing up at the stairwell.  
I couldn't tell what he was looking for. Twiddling his fingers, he suddenly sprung up, seeming to figure out what the dilemma was. Valentine then fished around in the pockets of his robe, and brought up two shiny, silver objects.  
He turned around and smiled at me.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"This, is for you." He pinched one of the silver objects in his fingers, and held it out to me.

I realized it was a ring. It shimmered with a dusky, creamy light.  
"Here, put it on." He held my hand, and slid it on my pinky finger. Then he leaned in hesitantly and kissed me soft on the mouth. Pulling back quick, he seemed confused by my blindsided and speechless reaction.

"What? I have one too, see?" He raised up his left hand, showing a similar ring on his index finger.  
His had a round green stone set in the middle.

"It's quite shiny, I just had to um, take it." He wiggled his fingers, admiring the ring.  
"I thought you might like one too."

"Yes, it's... very pretty." I slowly tried to talk.

"Ok then. Let's get out of here, shall we?" Valentine walked over to the same hat rack Gerald had pushed to make the Tower activate, and gently pulled it down.

Yet, all that occured was two bright lights in the room blinked on. We could hear the hum of something mechanical, but the Tower did not budge.

"C'mon! We need to go!"He said urgently.

A thunderous sound, like a foghorn, rang out from the walls, in a sing-song manner.

"What do you mean _intruder_... "  
Valentine was frantic. The booming noise rang out again, this time a little louder.

"He's a phony! He doesn't even have the mental capacity to carry on polite conversation!"  
Then he slouched his head down.

"It says that the boy is the one it listens to now. Which is total nonsense..." Valentine remarked to me.  
Shaking his head, he tried to reason with the Tower.

"I said I was sorry, didn't I? I mean, I'll clean and everything, just please we need to fly now!"

The Tower responded by turning off the lights, and the humming noise ceased.

"No! No! Don't do that!" Valentine shouted, banging a fist on the wall.

"Let's go, we need to get away before Gerald comes back." I tried to pull him out the front door.

"Oh, you are _sooo _helpful!" He shouted again into the Tower as I shut the entrance.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Grasping Valentine's hand, Helena dragged him out of the Tower, into the sunny yard. Pausing to look around, she saw it was clear, so they both ran towards the farthest wall of the palace. The sky darkened, and they looked up.  
A giant cloud of swirling shadows was undulating back and forth far from the palace, and it was making it's way towards the dark forest.

"Better head that way, towards the Dreamlands.Then we could possibly circle around the city and get to the library.We have to find something that can help us get me Tower back."

Valentine was scheming, drawing a map in the dirt with a stick.

"Yeah, maybe the library has another really useful book." Helena said,  
trying to give him some encouragement.

Still, he held his chin in one hand."But why is it being so stubborn.  
Did Gerald do something to it? We used to be best mates..."

"C'mon then, let's head out before the shadows realize we went the other direction."

They walked towards the Dreamlands, both contemplating the situation in silence. Finally, they got to the small pond with the bridge in front of the small white building Helena had thought up last time.  
Sitting on the edge of the pond, they stopped to look at the water.

"I'm sorry I got you into this mess." Valentine said in a hushed voice, while staring into the calm water.

Helena gazed at him. "Oh. It's alright. I came here to visit you, so I might as well help. It hasn't been boring..." She grinned.

He snickered. "Yeah."

"Although I have to say, you seem to have done this to yourself." She poked him playfully in the chest.

"It'd be no fun if I wasn't making trouble, especially for you." He jested back, and poked her in the nose.

Helena laughed aloud, then shifted her head to look at the domed building behind them.

"I wonder..." Getting off the ledge, she sauntered over the bridge, and peeked her head into the doorway. Valentine got up and followed her.

Inside, they stared at the tall pillar of keyholes in the middle of the shack. Helena fingered out the skeleton key she had used to open the basement door. Picking a out a red star-shaped keyhole, and jiggled the key into it, just to see if it worked. To her surprise, the drawer clicked, and she was able to slide it out.  
She grabbed around, and her hand found a polished white stone. Taking it out, it looked similar to a kidney bean. Over her shoulder, Valentine marveled at it.

"Wow...thats beautiful..."He said, in awe.

"You want it? Here." She held it out to him.

"Mmm...On the other hand, I think you better keep it."

She looked at it closely, and rubbed the smooth surface with her fingers.

They settled back on the wall as the sinking sun caused the Dreamland sky to turn ruby red.

"Valentine, why doesn't anyone here take off their mask?"

He was silent, his mouth skewed in a puzzled frown.

"I'm not really sure. Never thought of doing it. Why?"

"Can you take your mask off? Please?" She emphasized the please.

"Are you bloody mad?"

"What harm will it do?"

"Alright..."

He reached up and placed his fingertips on the outer ends of the mask. In a drawn out moment, he pulled it off. Helena held her breath.  
When he faced her, she let out a little gasp. Only the bottom half of his face was painted with off-white and indigo.  
Hazel eyes blinked back at her in surprise.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"I look ridiculous, don't I?"

I struggled to figure out what to say.

"Well I think you look much better." I pinched his cheek.

"Wha-What was that for?" He asked as he flinched.

"Oh, your just adorable."

"I'll have you know I'm not a child." He turned his nose up.

I noticed it had gotten dark inside the small room,  
and it became colder as well. Valentine shivered, and I could see his breath. His lips were pursed, and his eyebrows had contorted into a worried expression.

"Maybe there's something else we could use in those drawers."

I took the key and tried opening some other drawers. Two others opened, one containing a large wool blanket,  
and the other contained three candles and a box of matches.  
Valentine lighted two of the candles, and set one by me and the other one by the pillar. We shared the blanket.

He put his arm around my shoulder and sighed.

"I feel strange, Helena."

"Strange? How?" I asked.

"I have these little...tingly things dancing around in my stomach. And I feel like we just ran through a fire." I saw he was tapping his fingertips along his chest.  
"Gosh it's warm it here." Then he slipped off his robe. Underneath, he was wearing a grey shirt and black sweatpants.

"Are you serious? It's bloody freezing! in here!" I said in disbelief.

Something was bothering him ,and he looked around anxiously.  
"Hey. What's the matter?" I asked. Then I casually pecked him on the cheek.

He seemed to relax, tilted towards me, and kissed me back.  
It felt so comfortable,we didn't notice one of the candles had burned out. Leaning against me, he wrapped his arms around my waist. But I pulled back for a second as I saw it was darker in the room.

"Valentine, a candle went out." Then I looked towards the door.  
Curling, smokey mist started crawling through.  
"Valentine look! Hurry, we have to relight the candle! They're coming in!"

He snatched the pack of matches, and tried to get one lit,  
while I grabbed the candle. With a breath of relief,  
he got one match to stay aflame, and we lit the candle once again. The shadows retracted,  
scared of the glow.

"I thought we were rid of them!" He muttered.

"We have to keep it bright enough in here until I can think of a way out of here!"

Valentine removed the candles and placed them in front of the entryway. We both scurried to the back of the room.

That's when I smacked myself in the head.

"That's it!" I exclaimed.

"What's it?"

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, a perfectly round window had formed in the wall.  
I unlatched it, and began to crawl through.

"It's about time!" Valentine said as he struggled a little,  
but managed to squeeze through the window as well.  
Then we both bolted off. By the time I looked back, the shadows had engulfed the dome, and it shined in an icky black substance.

"This way! C'mon, this way!" He snatched the sleeve of my shirt and tugged me to follow him, while we ran off towards an empty landscape.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

They had entered a part of the world that Helena did not recognize at first. Tawny sand stirred under their feet, and they climbed over dune after gigantic dune. However Helena slowly recalled some of the features, and remembered her drawings when she saw large rock formations that took the shape of folded paper cranes. When they walked by one of these formations, they heard a shuffling noise. Suddenly, the rock burst into thousands of paper cranes, which fluttered out into the sky. Valentine jumped back. He had just put his mask back on, and it fell off when he fliched.

"What in the world! Don't do that!" Picking his mask off the ground,  
he shook his fist up at the birds, who didn't acknowledge him.

"Valentine leave them alone, they're just birds."

"Easy for you to say, you didn't nearly get decapitated."

"Is it just me, or do you see something in the distance,  
over there?"

Helena turned to see what he was pointing at.  
She made out the jagged outlining of buildings, and squinted at the sign for the library.

"The library! Let's go!"  
They trudged through the sand and dusted themselves off as they went through the library doors.

Once indoors, they made their way to the front desk,  
where the familiar disjointed face of the librarian met them.

"Hello there. Is there something you need?" He whispered noisily.

"Um, yes, do you by chance have anything on Towers?" Helena asked.

"Or how to punish bratty children?" Valentine added, which caused Helena to shove him.

"I believe so. Upstairs. To the left in the back. Technology and Architecture. You'll need pliers."

A small rabbit-eared creature came over to them, and handed Helena a small pair of blue pliers. Valentine made a double take at the rabbit-man, then looked down puzzingly at Helena's slippers as she walked up the staircase.

They finally got to a small section in the back portion of the library,  
near some metal panels. Carefully, Helena browsed the books until she saw one labeled "Towers and Mysteries." Taking the pliers, she poked them at the book. Without warning, the book opened up and clamped down onto the pliers, surprising her.

"Ah! Valentine help!"

"What is that!?"

Grabbing her shoulders, they both pulled, trying to get the tool out of the mouth of the book, which was now growling. After a minute, it let go, causing them both to crash backwards.

"I'll handle him." Valentine took up the pliers, then smashed them on the book's cover several times. The book then whimpered, and Helena was able to pick it up by the binding.

Cracking it open, she thumbed through a few pages.  
"Here. Tower theft and burglery."

Valentine strode over and sat down on a bench.

"Tower theft is possible and probable. They are sensitive to stress if bullied or distrusted. They are also very fond of cake and tea, and can be tricked into mis-identifying their owners..."

"So that's the reason all my cakes and tea kept disappearing..." Valentine said to himself.

"That's it, Valentine! Gerald tricked your Tower! That's why it didn't respond! It's mistaken Gerald for you! You have to get it to remember you!"  
Helena gesticulated wildly with her hands.

"But how do I do that?"

"Is there something that maybe you and the Tower know?  
That Gerald wouldn't?"

Valentine stayed still, pondering.

"Hmm...possibly..."

Helena tucked the book under her arm, and they proceeded to descend down the staircase. They bothed thanked the librarian, and he blushed while Helena shook his hand.

Again in the city of Light, they strolled down a street. Soon,  
a few creatures began to emerge on the road, and soon it was crowded with townsfolk.

"Excuse me, pardon me.." Valentine spoke to the creatures as they pushed and prodded through the stream of civilians.

They ended up walking out of the jammed street and unto the bridge overlooking the outskirts of the town.

"Phew...that was strange. I wonder where all those people are going..." Helena sighed.

"We need a more stealthy way to get into the castle yard where he's keeping the Tower." Valentine paused, a hand on his chin.  
"Do you know where your little monkey friends are, Helena?"

"I suspect they're at the Observation Towers, but that's all the way across the Dark forest."

"Too far." He replied.

Soon they found themselves stepping through sand again, this time it was shimmering in the sun. Stopping, Valentine got an idea. Looking around, he spotted one of the rocks that was made out of paper birds.

"Can you ask them if they would help us?" He pointed out the rock formation to Helena.

"I could try..." She said. Carefully, she approached the bird formation.

"Pardon...me..." In unison, a hundred paper necks snapped around and stared at her. "Whoa...um, we were wondering if you could help us?" A faint chirping came from the pile of birds, their beaks turned around, as if they were consulting with each other.  
Then, one of them flapped out of the pile, and landed in front of her.

Peering at up at Helena, it began to talk.

"What do you need help with?" The bird asked in a tiny voice that sounded like a young child.

Helena bent over to talk.

"We need to go to the Dark Palace, but we can't have anything knowing we're there."

The formation of birds began to twitter nervously.  
However, the lone paper bird stayed put.

"Very dark. You and him need to go?"

"Yes, it's very important."

It paused, then continued speaking.

"We will go, but not now. At sunset."

Helena looked at the horizon, which she figured was still an hour from sunset.

"Alright."

The bird went back to the others, and they scattered about, pecking at the sand.  
Helena went back to Valentine, who sat on the ground.

"They can take us in a little bit."

She huddled next to him.

"You can't be serious, those birds are taking us?"

"Yes, why not?"

"Have you forgotten that they almost took me head off?"

"You'll be fine. They're quite cute, actually."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

The paper cranes gathered together in the sand, while Valentine and Helena walked over to them.

Helena stood next to the bird she had talked to earlier. It looked at her, then huddled down and spread it's sharp wings. Attentivly, she climbed aboard its back. Then it stood back up, and positioned itself in front of the flock.

"C'mon, they're not going to hurt you, they're trying to help us."

Valentine eyed the birds suspiciously. "Bloody creature..." He grumbled, as he hesitantly mounted the crane next to hers.

Taking off in a flurry of folded wings, Helena gazed down at the desert while she listened to the crackling sound of paper thrashing.  
The sky had turned a deep, murky indigo, and the light of small stars jabbed through the sky like tacks.

Meanwhile, Valentine was gripping his bird's wings tightly, and hugged its neck for dear life. Cold gales swept on either side of him, and he cringed through the entire journey.

Several moments later, the birds slowed their pace, and gravitated down towards the Dark Palace. Landing behind the Palace's outer wall, Valentine and Helena quietly got off the cranes.

"..Thank you ..so much.." Breathless, Helena thanked the flock. They just looked at her and Valentine curiously, then flew off, back into the desert.

In the dark, they crept around the outer wall to the courtyard where his Tower had been the day they escaped. Quickly looking around, Valentine searched around, but couldn't find the Tower.

"Where is it? It was here the other day!" He whispered anxiously, and Helena heard the swishing of his shirt sleeves as he paced around the yard.

She squinted beyond the palace.

"Over there! I think I see it! It must have been moved..."  
Valentines eyes followed her outstretched arm to the west side of the Palace. The dark, high figure of the Tower was sitting next to the outside barrier.  
He took off running towards it.

"Hey! Slow down!" He seemed to barely hear Helena's voice as he galloped through the yard. Helena watched the tunnel and the Palace doors for any sign of life, as she gingerly skipped along to follow him.

He scrambled up a stone wall that was behind the one that separated the yard and the front of the Palace. The Tower was just on the other side. He got to the top and lost his balance as he stood up.

"Gah!" He blurted out.  
A hand grabbed the back of his robe, and he regained his footing.

"Careful! You have to be more cautious, I'm sure they've got guards watching it." Helena reprimanded him. She pulled herself up.  
Three guards formed a triangle around the Tower, however they were all facing away, expecting trouble to appear from the other direction. It was only a few feet from where they were standing.

"We could sneak up to the back of it, and find a way up to one of the windows." Helena nodded in agreement.

They scaled down the backside of the wall and landed on the crumbly dirt. Helena eyed the guards as Valentine tried to grip the Tower's rear wall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She said to urge him on.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" He spat back at her.

Helena peered up at him in annoyance as he climbed higher up.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

He ignored her, and managed to curl his fingers around the outside sill of an octagonal window.

"Got it!" Valentine then contorted his body into the opening.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I fell onto the floor of my place, and I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Picking myself up, I walked over to the hatrack. Suddenly the floor vibrated, and a lone yellow spotlight shone on me. I didn't move, unsure what to do.

"Um...er...hello again..." I muttered.  
A quiet honking noise came from upstairs.

"Yes, I need to talk to you. What's going on with you? I thought you were my friend?" I replied to it,  
slowly wandering over to the bottom step of the stairs.

The Tower honked in a slow, melancholy tone.

"Oh, I don't think your stupid. I was just mad at that Gerald character. Your my friend, I don't want anything  
bad to happen to you. Remember that time we were in the  
city, and I bought all those jewels for you? You looked so  
amazing, all sparkly..."

It trumpeted back, but this time it had a nice, cheery sound.

"Yes yes! And then that bloke tried to take one off, and you sprayed him with water! That was so funny!" I laughed.  
"See? How could that child possibly do anything like that for  
you? He just lets you sit outside, in the cold. Please help me,  
and Helena. We really need you." I wrung my hands as I plead.

Several other yellow beams came on in the room, and the floor vibrated.  
I cheered.  
"Yes! Alright, let me get Helena. Just a minute."

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meanwhile, Helena was outside, in a bit of trouble. The guards had heard the Tower's noises from inside  
and were confused as they ran around it. Unfortunately, they spotted  
Helena crouching by the outer wall. Now alarmed at the humming from the Tower,  
they each chased her, trying to grab her and missing each time. She was running out of breath, as  
she dodged and jumped out of the guards way.

"Valentine! For god's sake, what're you doing in there?!" She screamed.

Valentine looked down at her from the window, panicked.  
He opened it and shouted back. "Sorry! Just a minute! Run over here!"

Trying to think on his feet, Valentine slid across the floor to the front door.  
Counting to himself, he kicked the door open as Helena was running for it  
straight on. She jumped, and he seized her by the waist, while she took the door  
knob and pulled it shut, just as the guards were sprinting behind her. The stepped back,  
as a loud thump rang against the door from the guards. Valentine locked the door as they both  
stood, panting.

"Whoo! Ok! Let's get out of here!" He hollered. The Tower responded,  
and they felt it lift off the ground.

"Finally..." Helena gasped, and she trotted over to the window. Down below,  
the guards clustered, staring at the Tower. They were getting smaller and smaller, just  
as a thin veil of sunlight peeked over the fuzzy horizon. She noticed that Valentine had left the room,  
so she walked upstairs to see what he was up to.  
She found him in a bedroom, taking in a view from an enormous window, sipping from a mug.

"Can you believe it? We finally got it back!" She said, standing behind him. She placed a hand  
on the back of his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. Yeah it's great." He responded enthusiastically.

"So, where are we off to? The city?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

"Cool."

Helena sat down on a corner of a large bed.

"Oh, here, you can rest if you'd like. It's all yours." He patted his hand  
on the blanket of the bed.

"Oh, thanks. What are you going to do until we get there?"

"I think I'll go clean up and organize downstairs. Make it look nice." He said  
with a grin.

"Ok." Helena knelt down on the bed, and plopped down on the fluffy surface.

Valentine turned and smiled at her again, then went to descend the stairs.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Helena awoke to a heavy weight on the edge of the bed. Pulling back the  
covers, she saw it was Valentine.

"Hey! Are you awake? I want to show you something."

A pale light from the window filled the room, and she saw that he was cupping  
something in his hands. She rubbed her eyes.

"Whats that?"

"Do you still have that pretty white stone?"

"Yeah, I think." Helena fumbled around and found the  
stone in her pocket.

He was holding a strange box, and when she took out the stone,  
he opened the box with his left hand. Inside was a kidney-shaped impression  
in the red velvet lining. Helena slowly fit the stone into it. The box began to  
glow, brighter then the light from the window. A blue mist swirled from the stone,  
and it formed a sheer, three-dimensional box drifted above the box. It formed into a  
small sphere, which rotated on an axis.

"What in the world is that?" Valentine said, intrigued.

"I think it is...the world?" Helena replied. "Look, there's the Palace of Light...and  
there's the city..." She said as she pointed at the sphere.

"Valentine, this is a map of this world! That I drew!" She called out with a smile.

"Wow, you can see everything, can't you?" Valentine reached out to touch it. It unexpectantly blurred,  
and transformed into a square. Inside, it was filled with the scene of a room, with a small bed, some bookshelves,  
and thousands of leaflets of black and white paper tacked to a wall. Valentine leaned closer, and he saw  
a wooden puppet hanging down from a corner. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...is that supposed to be me?" He crowed.

"What?" Helena leaned in to see what he confounded by. She saw her room, and then chuckled  
when she saw his puppet. "Oh yes, that's you. That's where I live. That's my room."

"That's your room? It has barley enough room for a bathtub."

"Well, yeah, but I like it. That's the room I was trying to tell you about. Through the windows."

"Ooooh." He looked over at her. "Suppose you'll be heading back soon?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Helena bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I have to. I really don't want to."

"Then don't." Valentine stretched out his hand and held hers.  
"You could stay here! We could use this to find new places!" He tried to  
convince her.

"I can't! I have my family! The circus!..." She pondered. "What if you came with me?"

"Could I do that? I mean, is it possible?"

"Well if I can do it, why can't you?"

Valentine pressed his lips together.

"Well if that's not a problem with you-"

"Course not! Do you want to go now?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Why don't we wait until we get  
the Tower back safely on the ground first."

**Chapter Twenty**

The Tower landed in an open plaza in the city of Light, during the  
late afternoon. A cloud of dust plumed up, and Valentine waved it away,  
coughing as he and Helena exited the Tower.

"So. Show me the way." He said.

Helena giggled. "We can't get there from here. We have to  
go to find a window."

They strolled over to the front of one of the houses that  
lined the street. Helena brought out the mirrormask and began to bring  
it to her face.

"Valentine, get ready. Hold onto me."

He complied, and held onto her shoulders. They both  
stared at the window, and their bodies started to expand,  
surrounded by a silver light. Then they were gone.

Somehow, Valentine ended up propped up against her closet, upside down.  
He shook his head in shock.

"Sheesh!"

Helena took off the mask, peering around her room. Then she glanced  
over at Valentine. "Shhh! My parents will hear you!" She whispered.

Pivoting around, she looked up at her drawings. Some of the newer ones  
had the edges beginning to curl up. Valentine righted himself, and walked  
over to where she was standing.

"You did all this?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Very nice." He added.

He sat down on her bed, admiring one of her pillows.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Go to school. Perform in the circus. Talk to my parents..." She listed.

"What's this "school" ?" He asked while pulling out feathers  
from the pillow.

"I have to go there to learn stuff. About the world and culture, politics,  
that sort of thing."

"Hmm." Valentine nodded. "When do you have to go to school?"

"Tomarrow morning." She glanced at her alarm clock, and it read five o'clock.  
"And no, you can't come with me. But I think you could probably come to the  
circus."

He perked up when he heard circus. "Really? Do they need a juggler?"

"We could always use another juggler." She said, smiling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Thrusting Valentine into the  
closet, she motioned for him to be silent.

"Helena, who are you talking to?" Her mother asked as she opened the  
door.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud. We could always use a new juggler, right?"

She folded her arms. "Yes, I suppose we do. Why don't you come downstairs  
for dinner. I made hashbrowns."

"Sure mum. Be down in a minute."

As she left, she kneeled down to look through the slots in the closet doors.  
She saw Valentines mask as bars of light splashed onto it.

"I have to go to dinner, but I'll be back. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"Bring me back something to drink, eh? I'm parched."

"Right. Sit tight."

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I sat down at the table, my parents already engaged in a chat. As I pulled  
up a chair, my dad turned to me.

"Helena, haven't seen you all day. Heard you been sick.  
Feeling any better, love?"

"A little." I sat and started shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.

"We were just discussing about hiring a new juggler, dear."

"MmmHmmf..." I responded, with a mouthful.

"Maybe we could do that tonight, yeah?" She said cheerfully.

I swallowed quickly. "Yeah, sounds like a great idea."

Back in my room, I held the plate of hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of  
orange juice in the other, then closed the door with my foot.

"I'm back!" I whispered loudly.

"Terrific! Where's the food? I can smell it." Valentine squeezed out of  
the closet, and jogged over to me. Swiping the glass and the plate, he sat down on  
a pillow and began eating hashbrowns with his hands.

"What do you think about juggling soon?" I sat down next to him, propping my chin up on  
my fists. He chewed and swallowed, then took a large gulp of juice.

"I like that idea.."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him in a hug. He choked on  
the hashbrowns for a second, then cleared his throat. Then I got up to go brush my teeth.

When I got back, he was laying on my bed, throwing a juggling ball  
back and forth between his hands.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, let's figure out where your going to sleep."

"How about right here?" He angled his arms behind his head in a  
relaxed position.

"Well, that's where I'm sleeping. You have to sleep somewhere else. How about  
on my beanbag chair?" I pointed.

"A bag of beans? How could that possibly be comfortable?"

"Oh just try it." He got up and sat back on the chair.

"Oh, this is nice. Really nice." Easing back, he closed his eyes.

Striding over to my dresser, I got out a fresh t-shirt. As my eyes watched Valentine, I  
crept over to the other side of the room and turned away from him.

"Don't look." I warned.

"At what?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Just, don't look." I hurried and slipped off the dirty shirt, then slipped on  
the clean one.

I crawled into bed, and flipped off the lightswitch.

"Good night."

"Night'." I heard him wiggle loudly around in the chair for a bit, then settle down.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Helena got up earlier then usual, and got dressed. Quietly, she  
tried to rouse Valentine up.

"C'mon, you got to get in the closet before me mum comes up to check  
on me."

He swatted her hand away, which she then returned by yanking his  
arm up and pushing him into the closet.

"Geez, not so hard. Bring me some food, will you?" He begged.

After breakfast, she stole some bacon and a juice box back to her room.  
Handing them to Valentine, she started packing her things into  
her backpack.

"I'll be back at 3, and for Pete's sake do not leave my room. If my  
mum comes in, hide in the closet or under the bed. Don't let her see you,  
or I'll be in huge trouble."

He watched as she ran back and forth, gathering things, then she stopped and  
went back to the closet. She held his head in her palm and kissed it gently,  
then left the room.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, on the bus, Helena was sketching in her small, black notebook. Paper cranes,  
walled fortresses, and random shapes filled out the page she was using. She was  
growing impatient, wishing the time would fly by faster.

Later, she sat in one of her classes, lathargically staring out the window. To  
her surprise, a tall, lone figure walked by the sidewalk she had  
been looking down at. She recognized his lanky stature, and his cropped, strawberry-blond  
hair. Her eyes widened in horror.

When the bell resonated through the hallways, she bolted from her seat and  
raced down to the sidewalk outside, where the guy had been standing.  
She admitted that although it looked like Valentine, he was wearing  
very un-Valentine like clothing. However, she still raced around the courtyard,  
searching for him. Her heart sank as she realized he was not there anymore.  
Scared, she ran for the bus back to the apartment.

Helena burst up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. As the door  
banged, she stood alone, greeted by an empty room.

"Valentine! Valentine, get out here now!" Her voice strained as she whispered.

"What?" He replied as the right side of the closet door opened.

"I told you that you can't leave my room!"

"But I didn't." His head poked out.

"I saw you! You were outside my school!"

"Helena, I promise, I did not step a foot outside this room."

"But I saw..." She trailed off, then realized something.

"What?" He asked in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh...nothing. Maybe it wasn't you."

"Hmmph. Well if that's all done, can I please get out or  
do something other then sit in this bloody cramped closet?"

"Sure. First we have to clean you up."

She lead him carefully into the bathroom across the way. Taking off  
his mask Valentine stood in front of the mirror, perplexed. Helena  
grabbed a small washcloth, and was lathering it with soap. She started  
scrubbing his face.

"Ow, be gentle." His mouth twisted in irritation.

"Sorry." She slowed down, and wiped the paint off.

Finally, it was all cleaned off. Valentine poked his cheeks,  
inspecting his skin.

"Right, now to get you some decent clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"They don't look right for my world. I bought you some more  
appropriate things. Here." She handed him a bag with a pair of jeans  
and a shirt. She waited outide the bathroom door, and then knocked after  
a couple of minutes. Valentine opened it, and to her shock, looked  
almost like the kid she had seen outide of her classroom. However,  
the shirt he had on was inside out.

"Let me help you fix that." She helped him take the shirt over his head,  
and began to turn it out the other way. Looking down at the shirt, Helena  
blushed a little as she glanced at Valentine's chest from the corner of  
her eye. He wasn't extremely buff; in fact he was more on the skinny side.  
She handed back the shirt, and he put it on.

"Not bad. But I do have to say green is just not my color." He quipped.

"Alright. So, in order for this to work, we'll have to wait until my  
parents leave, and drop out the window..."

"Oh really?" Valentine remarked happily.

Later, as Helena sat in her room and Valentine napped in the closet, her mother came up and opened the door.

"Almost circus time. You ready?"

"Yeah. Mum, I'll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little bit, I have to  
go...pick some books at the library."

"Alright, just make sure your not late." Her mother said, winking at her. "That would be a tragedy."

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

As soon as Helena heard her parents leave, she went over to the closet.

"Hey! Valentine! Wake up!" Helena whispered loudly, and nudged open the closet doors.

"Huh...what..." mumbled Valentine.

"It's time to go to the circus."

"Circus? Count me in!" He perked up and got to his feet.

When Helena closed and locked the door to the apartment, she and Valentine walked off into the alley behind the apartment complex.

It was dark, save for some spots of light from the street lamps on the concrete wall behind them. The sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls of the alley.

"So when do I get to show off my skills?" Valentine asked.

"As soon as my parents meet you and decide if you are really as talented as you say you are." Helena laughed.

"I see. So are we there yet?"

"No..."

Soon they arrived at the seaside park where the circus was set up.

Helena pulled Valentine aside a tent flap as a stilt-walking clown walked passed.

"C'mon, this way!"

They worked their way to Helena's trailer, and went inside.

"Alright, hold on a minute, and don't touch anything."

She swept together a curtain around her as she jumped on her bed. She changed into a leotard.

Valentine scanned around the trailer, looking at costumes and mirrors until was looking at the curtain. He caught himself staring at an opening in the curtain, where he saw

the curving lines of Helena's bare back.

Embarrassed at his longing to look at her , he spun around and pretended to look at the peeling wallpaper on the wall of the trailer.

Helena finally popped out from behind the curtain, wearing a sparkly green leotard.

"Valentine, what are you doing?"

"Um...nothing...just looking." He replied nervously.

"C'mon, lets go."

They nonchalantly strode out of the trailer, past a line of customers at the ticket booth.

"This way." The ducked under a flap of the tent, surrounded by animal trainers and clowns practicing for the show.

Helena saw her parents talking to a sword-swallower, and walked over to them.

"Helena! Just in time. Who might this be?" Her mother asked.

"This is , uh, my friend Va...Victor, he goes to my school. He's a juggler."

Valentine smiled weakly and waved.

"A juggler? Well then, let's see some jugglin', ey?" said Helena's father.

Valentine took three blue juggling balls out of his pocket, and began doing a simple maneuver.

"Nice." Her father remarked encouragingly.

He then started to do an over-the head technique, and suddenly took out another ball, causing his hands to go into a blur

as he rapidly picked up the speed of his juggling.

"Spectacular! Fantastic! Look at that!" Helena's father cried out.

"You are very talented, Mr. Victor. Perhaps you'd like to join us in tonight's performace? Think you could improvise?"

Helena's mother nudged him and gave him a wink.

"Definitely, I would be honored." Valentine replied, smiling at Helena.

The show went without a hitch that night, and Valentine was able to match the talents of Helena's father and the other performers. The

crowd went crazy, and the tent was packed like never before. After the show was over and the patrons went home, Helena went with her parents, and instructed Valentine to follow them home without being seen.

Back at the apartment, Helena quietly listened to her parents going to bed, and seconds later heard a soft tap at the window. It was Valentine, hanging on to the windowsill

with all his strength.

Pulling him up and over through the window, they both collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

When they got to their feet, Helena embraced him, and squeezed him tight.

"That was amazing! I think that was the best show we've ever done!" She squealed with delight.

"Yeah?" Valentine replied.

"And tomorrow night will be even better!" She proclaimed.

"Helena..." He pulled away for a second. "I don't think there can be a tomorrow night."

She paused, stunned. Then a sorrowful look came across her face.

"Helena, I can't keep living in your closet. They're bound to notice me some time."

"Yes...I know.." She said disappointingly.

"But you'll come back, right? To visit?"

"It'll always be on my mind." He leaned towards her, and they kissed a small while.

As they separated, Helena opened a drawer and took out the Mirrormask. Placing it in his hands, she kissed him on the forehead.

"I guess this is goodbye, then." He said quietly.

"Stay out of trouble." She sighed, small tears forming behind her eyes.

"You too. No harmin' helpless animals just for the sake of fashion." He winked.

With one last look, he pulled the mask to his face, paused, and in a bright white flash, he had vanished.

Emptiness filled the room with a sadness that pressed heavily into Helena's mind.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Sixteen**

The paper cranes gathered together in the sand, while Valentine and Helena walked over to them.

Helena stood next to the bird she had talked to earlier. It looked at her, then huddled down and spread it's sharp wings. Attentivly, she climbed aboard its back. Then it stood back up, and positioned itself in front of the flock.

"C'mon, they're not going to hurt you, they're trying to help us."

Valentine eyed the birds suspiciously. "Bloody creature..." He grumbled, as he hesitantly mounted the crane next to hers.

Taking off in a flurry of folded wings, Helena gazed down at the desert while she listened to the crackling sound of paper thrashing.  
The sky had turned a deep, murky indigo, and the light of small stars jabbed through the sky like tacks.

Meanwhile, Valentine was gripping his bird's wings tightly, and hugged its neck for dear life. Cold gales swept on either side of him, and he cringed through the entire journey.

Several moments later, the birds slowed their pace, and gravitated down towards the Dark Palace. Landing behind the Palace's outer wall, Valentine and Helena quietly got off the cranes.

"..Thank you ..so much.." Breathless, Helena thanked the flock. They just looked at her and Valentine curiously, then flew off, back into the desert.

In the dark, they crept around the outer wall to the courtyard where his Tower had been the day they escaped. Quickly looking around, Valentine searched around, but couldn't find the Tower.

"Where is it? It was here the other day!" He whispered anxiously, and Helena heard the swishing of his shirt sleeves as he paced around the yard.

She squinted beyond the palace.

"Over there! I think I see it! It must have been moved..."  
Valentines eyes followed her outstretched arm to the west side of the Palace. The dark, high figure of the Tower was sitting next to the outside barrier.  
He took off running towards it.

"Hey! Slow down!" He seemed to barely hear Helena's voice as he galloped through the yard. Helena watched the tunnel and the Palace doors for any sign of life, as she gingerly skipped along to follow him.

He scrambled up a stone wall that was behind the one that separated the yard and the front of the Palace. The Tower was just on the other side. He got to the top and lost his balance as he stood up.

"Gah!" He blurted out.  
A hand grabbed the back of his robe, and he regained his footing.

"Careful! You have to be more cautious, I'm sure they've got guards watching it." Helena reprimanded him. She pulled herself up.  
Three guards formed a triangle around the Tower, however they were all facing away, expecting trouble to appear from the other direction. It was only a few feet from where they were standing.

"We could sneak up to the back of it, and find a way up to one of the windows." Helena nodded in agreement.

They scaled down the backside of the wall and landed on the crumbly dirt. Helena eyed the guards as Valentine tried to grip the Tower's rear wall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She said to urge him on.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" He spat back at her.

Helena peered up at him in annoyance as he climbed higher up.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

He ignored her, and managed to curl his fingers around the outside sill of an octagonal window.

"Got it!" Valentine then contorted his body into the opening.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I fell onto the floor of my place, and I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Picking myself up, I walked over to the hatrack. Suddenly the floor vibrated, and a lone yellow spotlight shone on me. I didn't move, unsure what to do.

"Um...er...hello again..." I muttered.  
A quiet honking noise came from upstairs.

"Yes, I need to talk to you. What's going on with you? I thought you were my friend?" I replied to it,  
slowly wandering over to the bottom step of the stairs.

The Tower honked in a slow, melancholy tone.

"Oh, I don't think your stupid. I was just mad at that Gerald character. Your my friend, I don't want anything  
bad to happen to you. Remember that time we were in the  
city, and I bought all those jewels for you? You looked so  
amazing, all sparkly..."

It trumpeted back, but this time it had a nice, cheery sound.

"Yes yes! And then that bloke tried to take one off, and you sprayed him with water! That was so funny!" I laughed.  
"See? How could that child possibly do anything like that for  
you? He just lets you sit outside, in the cold. Please help me,  
and Helena. We really need you." I wrung my hands as I plead.

Several other yellow beams came on in the room, and the floor vibrated.  
I cheered.  
"Yes! Alright, let me get Helena. Just a minute."

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meanwhile, Helena was outside, in a bit of trouble. The guards had heard the Tower's noises from inside  
and were confused as they ran around it. Unfortunately, they spotted  
Helena crouching by the outer wall. Now alarmed at the humming from the Tower,  
they each chased her, trying to grab her and missing each time. She was running out of breath, as  
she dodged and jumped out of the guards way.

"Valentine! For god's sake, what're you doing in there?!" She screamed.

Valentine looked down at her from the window, panicked.  
He opened it and shouted back. "Sorry! Just a minute! Run over here!"

Trying to think on his feet, Valentine slid across the floor to the front door.  
Counting to himself, he kicked the door open as Helena was running for it  
straight on. She jumped, and he seized her by the waist, while she took the door  
knob and pulled it shut, just as the guards were sprinting behind her. The stepped back,  
as a loud thump rang against the door from the guards. Valentine locked the door as they both  
stood, panting.

"Whoo! Ok! Let's get out of here!" He hollered. The Tower responded,  
and they felt it lift off the ground.

"Finally..." Helena gasped, and she trotted over to the window. Down below,  
the guards clustered, staring at the Tower. They were getting smaller and smaller, just  
as a thin veil of sunlight peeked over the fuzzy horizon. She noticed that Valentine had left the room,  
so she walked upstairs to see what he was up to.  
She found him in a bedroom, taking in a view from an enormous window, sipping from a mug.

"Can you believe it? We finally got it back!" She said, standing behind him. She placed a hand  
on the back of his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. Yeah it's great." He responded enthusiastically.

"So, where are we off to? The city?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

"Cool."

Helena sat down on a corner of a large bed.

"Oh, here, you can rest if you'd like. It's all yours." He patted his hand  
on the blanket of the bed.

"Oh, thanks. What are you going to do until we get there?"

"I think I'll go clean up and organize downstairs. Make it look nice." He said  
with a grin.

"Ok." Helena knelt down on the bed, and plopped down on the fluffy surface.

Valentine turned and smiled at her again, then went to descend the stairs.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Helena awoke to a heavy weight on the edge of the bed. Pulling back the  
covers, she saw it was Valentine.

"Hey! Are you awake? I want to show you something."

A pale light from the window filled the room, and she saw that he was cupping  
something in his hands. She rubbed her eyes.

"Whats that?"

"Do you still have that pretty white stone?"

"Yeah, I think." Helena fumbled around and found the  
stone in her pocket.

He was holding a strange box, and when she took out the stone,  
he opened the box with his left hand. Inside was a kidney-shaped impression  
in the red velvet lining. Helena slowly fit the stone into it. The box began to  
glow, brighter then the light from the window. A blue mist swirled from the stone,  
and it formed a sheer, three-dimensional box drifted above the box. It formed into a  
small sphere, which rotated on an axis.

"What in the world is that?" Valentine said, intrigued.

"I think it is...the world?" Helena replied. "Look, there's the Palace of Light...and  
there's the city..." She said as she pointed at the sphere.

"Valentine, this is a map of this world! That I drew!" She called out with a smile.

"Wow, you can see everything, can't you?" Valentine reached out to touch it. It unexpectantly blurred,  
and transformed into a square. Inside, it was filled with the scene of a room, with a small bed, some bookshelves,  
and thousands of leaflets of black and white paper tacked to a wall. Valentine leaned closer, and he saw  
a wooden puppet hanging down from a corner. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...is that supposed to be me?" He crowed.

"What?" Helena leaned in to see what he confounded by. She saw her room, and then chuckled  
when she saw his puppet. "Oh yes, that's you. That's where I live. That's my room."

"That's your room? It has barley enough room for a bathtub."

"Well, yeah, but I like it. That's the room I was trying to tell you about. Through the windows."

"Ooooh." He looked over at her. "Suppose you'll be heading back soon?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Helena bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I have to. I really don't want to."

"Then don't." Valentine stretched out his hand and held hers.  
"You could stay here! We could use this to find new places!" He tried to  
convince her.

"I can't! I have my family! The circus!..." She pondered. "What if you came with me?"

"Could I do that? I mean, is it possible?"

"Well if I can do it, why can't you?"

Valentine pressed his lips together.

"Well if that's not a problem with you-"

"Course not! Do you want to go now?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Why don't we wait until we get  
the Tower back safely on the ground first."

**Chapter Twenty**

The Tower landed in an open plaza in the city of Light, during the  
late afternoon. A cloud of dust plumed up, and Valentine waved it away,  
coughing as he and Helena exited the Tower.

"So. Show me the way." He said.

Helena giggled. "We can't get there from here. We have to  
go to find a window."

They strolled over to the front of one of the houses that  
lined the street. Helena brought out the mirrormask and began to bring  
it to her face.

"Valentine, get ready. Hold onto me."

He complied, and held onto her shoulders. They both  
stared at the window, and their bodies started to expand,  
surrounded by a silver light. Then they were gone.

Somehow, Valentine ended up propped up against her closet, upside down.  
He shook his head in shock.

"Sheesh!"

Helena took off the mask, peering around her room. Then she glanced  
over at Valentine. "Shhh! My parents will hear you!" She whispered.

Pivoting around, she looked up at her drawings. Some of the newer ones  
had the edges beginning to curl up. Valentine righted himself, and walked  
over to where she was standing.

"You did all this?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Very nice." He added.

He sat down on her bed, admiring one of her pillows.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Go to school. Perform in the circus. Talk to my parents..." She listed.

"What's this "school" ?" He asked while pulling out feathers  
from the pillow.

"I have to go there to learn stuff. About the world and culture, politics,  
that sort of thing."

"Hmm." Valentine nodded. "When do you have to go to school?"

"Tomarrow morning." She glanced at her alarm clock, and it read five o'clock.  
"And no, you can't come with me. But I think you could probably come to the  
circus."

He perked up when he heard circus. "Really? Do they need a juggler?"

"We could always use another juggler." She said, smiling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Thrusting Valentine into the  
closet, she motioned for him to be silent.

"Helena, who are you talking to?" Her mother asked as she opened the  
door.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud. We could always use a new juggler, right?"

She folded her arms. "Yes, I suppose we do. Why don't you come downstairs  
for dinner. I made hashbrowns."

"Sure mum. Be down in a minute."

As she left, she kneeled down to look through the slots in the closet doors.  
She saw Valentines mask as bars of light splashed onto it.

"I have to go to dinner, but I'll be back. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"Bring me back something to drink, eh? I'm parched."

"Right. Sit tight."

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I sat down at the table, my parents already engaged in a chat. As I pulled  
up a chair, my dad turned to me.

"Helena, haven't seen you all day. Heard you been sick.  
Feeling any better, love?"

"A little." I sat and started shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.

"We were just discussing about hiring a new juggler, dear."

"MmmHmmf..." I responded, with a mouthful.

"Maybe we could do that tonight, yeah?" She said cheerfully.

I swallowed quickly. "Yeah, sounds like a great idea."

Back in my room, I held the plate of hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of  
orange juice in the other, then closed the door with my foot.

"I'm back!" I whispered loudly.

"Terrific! Where's the food? I can smell it." Valentine squeezed out of  
the closet, and jogged over to me. Swiping the glass and the plate, he sat down on  
a pillow and began eating hashbrowns with his hands.

"What do you think about juggling soon?" I sat down next to him, propping my chin up on  
my fists. He chewed and swallowed, then took a large gulp of juice.

"I like that idea.."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him in a hug. He choked on  
the hashbrowns for a second, then cleared his throat. Then I got up to go brush my teeth.

When I got back, he was laying on my bed, throwing a juggling ball  
back and forth between his hands.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, let's figure out where your going to sleep."

"How about right here?" He angled his arms behind his head in a  
relaxed position.

"Well, that's where I'm sleeping. You have to sleep somewhere else. How about  
on my beanbag chair?" I pointed.

"A bag of beans? How could that possibly be comfortable?"

"Oh just try it." He got up and sat back on the chair.

"Oh, this is nice. Really nice." Easing back, he closed his eyes.

Striding over to my dresser, I got out a fresh t-shirt. As my eyes watched Valentine, I  
crept over to the other side of the room and turned away from him.

"Don't look." I warned.

"At what?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Just, don't look." I hurried and slipped off the dirty shirt, then slipped on  
the clean one.

I crawled into bed, and flipped off the lightswitch.

"Good night."

"Night'." I heard him wiggle loudly around in the chair for a bit, then settle down.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Helena got up earlier then usual, and got dressed. Quietly, she  
tried to rouse Valentine up.

"C'mon, you got to get in the closet before me mum comes up to check  
on me."

He swatted her hand away, which she then returned by yanking his  
arm up and pushing him into the closet.

"Geez, not so hard. Bring me some food, will you?" He begged.

After breakfast, she stole some bacon and a juice box back to her room.  
Handing them to Valentine, she started packing her things into  
her backpack.

"I'll be back at 3, and for Pete's sake do not leave my room. If my  
mum comes in, hide in the closet or under the bed. Don't let her see you,  
or I'll be in huge trouble."

He watched as she ran back and forth, gathering things, then she stopped and  
went back to the closet. She held his head in her palm and kissed it gently,  
then left the room.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, on the bus, Helena was sketching in her small, black notebook. Paper cranes,  
walled fortresses, and random shapes filled out the page she was using. She was  
growing impatient, wishing the time would fly by faster.

Later, she sat in one of her classes, lathargically staring out the window. To  
her surprise, a tall, lone figure walked by the sidewalk she had  
been looking down at. She recognized his lanky stature, and his cropped, strawberry-blond  
hair. Her eyes widened in horror.

When the bell resonated through the hallways, she bolted from her seat and  
raced down to the sidewalk outside, where the guy had been standing.  
She admitted that although it looked like Valentine, he was wearing  
very un-Valentine like clothing. However, she still raced around the courtyard,  
searching for him. Her heart sank as she realized he was not there anymore.  
Scared, she ran for the bus back to the apartment.

Helena burst up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. As the door  
banged, she stood alone, greeted by an empty room.

"Valentine! Valentine, get out here now!" Her voice strained as she whispered.

"What?" He replied as the right side of the closet door opened.

"I told you that you can't leave my room!"

"But I didn't." His head poked out.

"I saw you! You were outside my school!"

"Helena, I promise, I did not step a foot outside this room."

"But I saw..." She trailed off, then realized something.

"What?" He asked in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh...nothing. Maybe it wasn't you."

"Hmmph. Well if that's all done, can I please get out or  
do something other then sit in this bloody cramped closet?"

"Sure. First we have to clean you up."

She lead him carefully into the bathroom across the way. Taking off  
his mask Valentine stood in front of the mirror, perplexed. Helena  
grabbed a small washcloth, and was lathering it with soap. She started  
scrubbing his face.

"Ow, be gentle." His mouth twisted in irritation.

"Sorry." She slowed down, and wiped the paint off.

Finally, it was all cleaned off. Valentine poked his cheeks,  
inspecting his skin.

"Right, now to get you some decent clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"They don't look right for my world. I bought you some more  
appropriate things. Here." She handed him a bag with a pair of jeans  
and a shirt. She waited outide the bathroom door, and then knocked after  
a couple of minutes. Valentine opened it, and to her shock, looked  
almost like the kid she had seen outide of her classroom. However,  
the shirt he had on was inside out.

"Let me help you fix that." She helped him take the shirt over his head,  
and began to turn it out the other way. Looking down at the shirt, Helena  
blushed a little as she glanced at Valentine's chest from the corner of  
her eye. He wasn't extremely buff; in fact he was more on the skinny side.  
She handed back the shirt, and he put it on.

"Not bad. But I do have to say green is just not my color." He quipped.

"Alright. So, in order for this to work, we'll have to wait until my  
parents leave, and drop out the window..."

"Oh really?" Valentine remarked happily.

Later, as Helena sat in her room and Valentine napped in the closet, her mother came up and opened the door.

"Almost circus time. You ready?"

"Yeah. Mum, I'll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little bit, I have to  
go...pick some books at the library."

"Alright, just make sure your not late." Her mother said, winking at her. "That would be a tragedy."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Sixteen**

The paper cranes gathered together in the sand, while Valentine and Helena walked over to them.

Helena stood next to the bird she had talked to earlier. It looked at her, then huddled down and spread it's sharp wings. Attentivly, she climbed aboard its back. Then it stood back up, and positioned itself in front of the flock.

"C'mon, they're not going to hurt you, they're trying to help us."

Valentine eyed the birds suspiciously. "Bloody creature..." He grumbled, as he hesitantly mounted the crane next to hers.

Taking off in a flurry of folded wings, Helena gazed down at the desert while she listened to the crackling sound of paper thrashing.  
The sky had turned a deep, murky indigo, and the light of small stars jabbed through the sky like tacks.

Meanwhile, Valentine was gripping his bird's wings tightly, and hugged its neck for dear life. Cold gales swept on either side of him, and he cringed through the entire journey.

Several moments later, the birds slowed their pace, and gravitated down towards the Dark Palace. Landing behind the Palace's outer wall, Valentine and Helena quietly got off the cranes.

"..Thank you ..so much.." Breathless, Helena thanked the flock. They just looked at her and Valentine curiously, then flew off, back into the desert.

In the dark, they crept around the outer wall to the courtyard where his Tower had been the day they escaped. Quickly looking around, Valentine searched around, but couldn't find the Tower.

"Where is it? It was here the other day!" He whispered anxiously, and Helena heard the swishing of his shirt sleeves as he paced around the yard.

She squinted beyond the palace.

"Over there! I think I see it! It must have been moved..."  
Valentines eyes followed her outstretched arm to the west side of the Palace. The dark, high figure of the Tower was sitting next to the outside barrier.  
He took off running towards it.

"Hey! Slow down!" He seemed to barely hear Helena's voice as he galloped through the yard. Helena watched the tunnel and the Palace doors for any sign of life, as she gingerly skipped along to follow him.

He scrambled up a stone wall that was behind the one that separated the yard and the front of the Palace. The Tower was just on the other side. He got to the top and lost his balance as he stood up.

"Gah!" He blurted out.  
A hand grabbed the back of his robe, and he regained his footing.

"Careful! You have to be more cautious, I'm sure they've got guards watching it." Helena reprimanded him. She pulled herself up.  
Three guards formed a triangle around the Tower, however they were all facing away, expecting trouble to appear from the other direction. It was only a few feet from where they were standing.

"We could sneak up to the back of it, and find a way up to one of the windows." Helena nodded in agreement.

They scaled down the backside of the wall and landed on the crumbly dirt. Helena eyed the guards as Valentine tried to grip the Tower's rear wall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She said to urge him on.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" He spat back at her.

Helena peered up at him in annoyance as he climbed higher up.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

He ignored her, and managed to curl his fingers around the outside sill of an octagonal window.

"Got it!" Valentine then contorted his body into the opening.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I fell onto the floor of my place, and I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Picking myself up, I walked over to the hatrack. Suddenly the floor vibrated, and a lone yellow spotlight shone on me. I didn't move, unsure what to do.

"Um...er...hello again..." I muttered.  
A quiet honking noise came from upstairs.

"Yes, I need to talk to you. What's going on with you? I thought you were my friend?" I replied to it,  
slowly wandering over to the bottom step of the stairs.

The Tower honked in a slow, melancholy tone.

"Oh, I don't think your stupid. I was just mad at that Gerald character. Your my friend, I don't want anything  
bad to happen to you. Remember that time we were in the  
city, and I bought all those jewels for you? You looked so  
amazing, all sparkly..."

It trumpeted back, but this time it had a nice, cheery sound.

"Yes yes! And then that bloke tried to take one off, and you sprayed him with water! That was so funny!" I laughed.  
"See? How could that child possibly do anything like that for  
you? He just lets you sit outside, in the cold. Please help me,  
and Helena. We really need you." I wrung my hands as I plead.

Several other yellow beams came on in the room, and the floor vibrated.  
I cheered.  
"Yes! Alright, let me get Helena. Just a minute."

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meanwhile, Helena was outside, in a bit of trouble. The guards had heard the Tower's noises from inside  
and were confused as they ran around it. Unfortunately, they spotted  
Helena crouching by the outer wall. Now alarmed at the humming from the Tower,  
they each chased her, trying to grab her and missing each time. She was running out of breath, as  
she dodged and jumped out of the guards way.

"Valentine! For god's sake, what're you doing in there?!" She screamed.

Valentine looked down at her from the window, panicked.  
He opened it and shouted back. "Sorry! Just a minute! Run over here!"

Trying to think on his feet, Valentine slid across the floor to the front door.  
Counting to himself, he kicked the door open as Helena was running for it  
straight on. She jumped, and he seized her by the waist, while she took the door  
knob and pulled it shut, just as the guards were sprinting behind her. The stepped back,  
as a loud thump rang against the door from the guards. Valentine locked the door as they both  
stood, panting.

"Whoo! Ok! Let's get out of here!" He hollered. The Tower responded,  
and they felt it lift off the ground.

"Finally..." Helena gasped, and she trotted over to the window. Down below,  
the guards clustered, staring at the Tower. They were getting smaller and smaller, just  
as a thin veil of sunlight peeked over the fuzzy horizon. She noticed that Valentine had left the room,  
so she walked upstairs to see what he was up to.  
She found him in a bedroom, taking in a view from an enormous window, sipping from a mug.

"Can you believe it? We finally got it back!" She said, standing behind him. She placed a hand  
on the back of his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. Yeah it's great." He responded enthusiastically.

"So, where are we off to? The city?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

"Cool."

Helena sat down on a corner of a large bed.

"Oh, here, you can rest if you'd like. It's all yours." He patted his hand  
on the blanket of the bed.

"Oh, thanks. What are you going to do until we get there?"

"I think I'll go clean up and organize downstairs. Make it look nice." He said  
with a grin.

"Ok." Helena knelt down on the bed, and plopped down on the fluffy surface.

Valentine turned and smiled at her again, then went to descend the stairs.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Helena awoke to a heavy weight on the edge of the bed. Pulling back the  
covers, she saw it was Valentine.

"Hey! Are you awake? I want to show you something."

A pale light from the window filled the room, and she saw that he was cupping  
something in his hands. She rubbed her eyes.

"Whats that?"

"Do you still have that pretty white stone?"

"Yeah, I think." Helena fumbled around and found the  
stone in her pocket.

He was holding a strange box, and when she took out the stone,  
he opened the box with his left hand. Inside was a kidney-shaped impression  
in the red velvet lining. Helena slowly fit the stone into it. The box began to  
glow, brighter then the light from the window. A blue mist swirled from the stone,  
and it formed a sheer, three-dimensional box drifted above the box. It formed into a  
small sphere, which rotated on an axis.

"What in the world is that?" Valentine said, intrigued.

"I think it is...the world?" Helena replied. "Look, there's the Palace of Light...and  
there's the city..." She said as she pointed at the sphere.

"Valentine, this is a map of this world! That I drew!" She called out with a smile.

"Wow, you can see everything, can't you?" Valentine reached out to touch it. It unexpectantly blurred,  
and transformed into a square. Inside, it was filled with the scene of a room, with a small bed, some bookshelves,  
and thousands of leaflets of black and white paper tacked to a wall. Valentine leaned closer, and he saw  
a wooden puppet hanging down from a corner. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...is that supposed to be me?" He crowed.

"What?" Helena leaned in to see what he confounded by. She saw her room, and then chuckled  
when she saw his puppet. "Oh yes, that's you. That's where I live. That's my room."

"That's your room? It has barley enough room for a bathtub."

"Well, yeah, but I like it. That's the room I was trying to tell you about. Through the windows."

"Ooooh." He looked over at her. "Suppose you'll be heading back soon?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Helena bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I have to. I really don't want to."

"Then don't." Valentine stretched out his hand and held hers.  
"You could stay here! We could use this to find new places!" He tried to  
convince her.

"I can't! I have my family! The circus!..." She pondered. "What if you came with me?"

"Could I do that? I mean, is it possible?"

"Well if I can do it, why can't you?"

Valentine pressed his lips together.

"Well if that's not a problem with you-"

"Course not! Do you want to go now?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Why don't we wait until we get  
the Tower back safely on the ground first."

**Chapter Twenty**

The Tower landed in an open plaza in the city of Light, during the  
late afternoon. A cloud of dust plumed up, and Valentine waved it away,  
coughing as he and Helena exited the Tower.

"So. Show me the way." He said.

Helena giggled. "We can't get there from here. We have to  
go to find a window."

They strolled over to the front of one of the houses that  
lined the street. Helena brought out the mirrormask and began to bring  
it to her face.

"Valentine, get ready. Hold onto me."

He complied, and held onto her shoulders. They both  
stared at the window, and their bodies started to expand,  
surrounded by a silver light. Then they were gone.

Somehow, Valentine ended up propped up against her closet, upside down.  
He shook his head in shock.

"Sheesh!"

Helena took off the mask, peering around her room. Then she glanced  
over at Valentine. "Shhh! My parents will hear you!" She whispered.

Pivoting around, she looked up at her drawings. Some of the newer ones  
had the edges beginning to curl up. Valentine righted himself, and walked  
over to where she was standing.

"You did all this?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Very nice." He added.

He sat down on her bed, admiring one of her pillows.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Go to school. Perform in the circus. Talk to my parents..." She listed.

"What's this "school" ?" He asked while pulling out feathers  
from the pillow.

"I have to go there to learn stuff. About the world and culture, politics,  
that sort of thing."

"Hmm." Valentine nodded. "When do you have to go to school?"

"Tomarrow morning." She glanced at her alarm clock, and it read five o'clock.  
"And no, you can't come with me. But I think you could probably come to the  
circus."

He perked up when he heard circus. "Really? Do they need a juggler?"

"We could always use another juggler." She said, smiling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Thrusting Valentine into the  
closet, she motioned for him to be silent.

"Helena, who are you talking to?" Her mother asked as she opened the  
door.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud. We could always use a new juggler, right?"

She folded her arms. "Yes, I suppose we do. Why don't you come downstairs  
for dinner. I made hashbrowns."

"Sure mum. Be down in a minute."

As she left, she kneeled down to look through the slots in the closet doors.  
She saw Valentines mask as bars of light splashed onto it.

"I have to go to dinner, but I'll be back. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"Bring me back something to drink, eh? I'm parched."

"Right. Sit tight."

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I sat down at the table, my parents already engaged in a chat. As I pulled  
up a chair, my dad turned to me.

"Helena, haven't seen you all day. Heard you been sick.  
Feeling any better, love?"

"A little." I sat and started shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.

"We were just discussing about hiring a new juggler, dear."

"MmmHmmf..." I responded, with a mouthful.

"Maybe we could do that tonight, yeah?" She said cheerfully.

I swallowed quickly. "Yeah, sounds like a great idea."

Back in my room, I held the plate of hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of  
orange juice in the other, then closed the door with my foot.

"I'm back!" I whispered loudly.

"Terrific! Where's the food? I can smell it." Valentine squeezed out of  
the closet, and jogged over to me. Swiping the glass and the plate, he sat down on  
a pillow and began eating hashbrowns with his hands.

"What do you think about juggling soon?" I sat down next to him, propping my chin up on  
my fists. He chewed and swallowed, then took a large gulp of juice.

"I like that idea.."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him in a hug. He choked on  
the hashbrowns for a second, then cleared his throat. Then I got up to go brush my teeth.

When I got back, he was laying on my bed, throwing a juggling ball  
back and forth between his hands.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, let's figure out where your going to sleep."

"How about right here?" He angled his arms behind his head in a  
relaxed position.

"Well, that's where I'm sleeping. You have to sleep somewhere else. How about  
on my beanbag chair?" I pointed.

"A bag of beans? How could that possibly be comfortable?"

"Oh just try it." He got up and sat back on the chair.

"Oh, this is nice. Really nice." Easing back, he closed his eyes.

Striding over to my dresser, I got out a fresh t-shirt. As my eyes watched Valentine, I  
crept over to the other side of the room and turned away from him.

"Don't look." I warned.

"At what?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Just, don't look." I hurried and slipped off the dirty shirt, then slipped on  
the clean one.

I crawled into bed, and flipped off the lightswitch.

"Good night."

"Night'." I heard him wiggle loudly around in the chair for a bit, then settle down.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Helena got up earlier then usual, and got dressed. Quietly, she  
tried to rouse Valentine up.

"C'mon, you got to get in the closet before me mum comes up to check  
on me."

He swatted her hand away, which she then returned by yanking his  
arm up and pushing him into the closet.

"Geez, not so hard. Bring me some food, will you?" He begged.

After breakfast, she stole some bacon and a juice box back to her room.  
Handing them to Valentine, she started packing her things into  
her backpack.

"I'll be back at 3, and for Pete's sake do not leave my room. If my  
mum comes in, hide in the closet or under the bed. Don't let her see you,  
or I'll be in huge trouble."

He watched as she ran back and forth, gathering things, then she stopped and  
went back to the closet. She held his head in her palm and kissed it gently,  
then left the room.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, on the bus, Helena was sketching in her small, black notebook. Paper cranes,  
walled fortresses, and random shapes filled out the page she was using. She was  
growing impatient, wishing the time would fly by faster.

Later, she sat in one of her classes, lathargically staring out the window. To  
her surprise, a tall, lone figure walked by the sidewalk she had  
been looking down at. She recognized his lanky stature, and his cropped, strawberry-blond  
hair. Her eyes widened in horror.

When the bell resonated through the hallways, she bolted from her seat and  
raced down to the sidewalk outside, where the guy had been standing.  
She admitted that although it looked like Valentine, he was wearing  
very un-Valentine like clothing. However, she still raced around the courtyard,  
searching for him. Her heart sank as she realized he was not there anymore.  
Scared, she ran for the bus back to the apartment.

Helena burst up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. As the door  
banged, she stood alone, greeted by an empty room.

"Valentine! Valentine, get out here now!" Her voice strained as she whispered.

"What?" He replied as the right side of the closet door opened.

"I told you that you can't leave my room!"

"But I didn't." His head poked out.

"I saw you! You were outside my school!"

"Helena, I promise, I did not step a foot outside this room."

"But I saw..." She trailed off, then realized something.

"What?" He asked in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh...nothing. Maybe it wasn't you."

"Hmmph. Well if that's all done, can I please get out or  
do something other then sit in this bloody cramped closet?"

"Sure. First we have to clean you up."

She lead him carefully into the bathroom across the way. Taking off  
his mask Valentine stood in front of the mirror, perplexed. Helena  
grabbed a small washcloth, and was lathering it with soap. She started  
scrubbing his face.

"Ow, be gentle." His mouth twisted in irritation.

"Sorry." She slowed down, and wiped the paint off.

Finally, it was all cleaned off. Valentine poked his cheeks,  
inspecting his skin.

"Right, now to get you some decent clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"They don't look right for my world. I bought you some more  
appropriate things. Here." She handed him a bag with a pair of jeans  
and a shirt. She waited outide the bathroom door, and then knocked after  
a couple of minutes. Valentine opened it, and to her shock, looked  
almost like the kid she had seen outide of her classroom. However,  
the shirt he had on was inside out.

"Let me help you fix that." She helped him take the shirt over his head,  
and began to turn it out the other way. Looking down at the shirt, Helena  
blushed a little as she glanced at Valentine's chest from the corner of  
her eye. He wasn't extremely buff; in fact he was more on the skinny side.  
She handed back the shirt, and he put it on.

"Not bad. But I do have to say green is just not my color." He quipped.

"Alright. So, in order for this to work, we'll have to wait until my  
parents leave, and drop out the window..."

"Oh really?" Valentine remarked happily.

Later, as Helena sat in her room and Valentine napped in the closet, her mother came up and opened the door.

"Almost circus time. You ready?"

"Yeah. Mum, I'll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little bit, I have to  
go...pick some books at the library."

"Alright, just make sure your not late." Her mother said, winking at her. "That would be a tragedy."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Sixteen**

The paper cranes gathered together in the sand, while Valentine and Helena walked over to them.

Helena stood next to the bird she had talked to earlier. It looked at her, then huddled down and spread it's sharp wings. Attentivly, she climbed aboard its back. Then it stood back up, and positioned itself in front of the flock.

"C'mon, they're not going to hurt you, they're trying to help us."

Valentine eyed the birds suspiciously. "Bloody creature..." He grumbled, as he hesitantly mounted the crane next to hers.

Taking off in a flurry of folded wings, Helena gazed down at the desert while she listened to the crackling sound of paper thrashing.  
The sky had turned a deep, murky indigo, and the light of small stars jabbed through the sky like tacks.

Meanwhile, Valentine was gripping his bird's wings tightly, and hugged its neck for dear life. Cold gales swept on either side of him, and he cringed through the entire journey.

Several moments later, the birds slowed their pace, and gravitated down towards the Dark Palace. Landing behind the Palace's outer wall, Valentine and Helena quietly got off the cranes.

"..Thank you ..so much.." Breathless, Helena thanked the flock. They just looked at her and Valentine curiously, then flew off, back into the desert.

In the dark, they crept around the outer wall to the courtyard where his Tower had been the day they escaped. Quickly looking around, Valentine searched around, but couldn't find the Tower.

"Where is it? It was here the other day!" He whispered anxiously, and Helena heard the swishing of his shirt sleeves as he paced around the yard.

She squinted beyond the palace.

"Over there! I think I see it! It must have been moved..."  
Valentines eyes followed her outstretched arm to the west side of the Palace. The dark, high figure of the Tower was sitting next to the outside barrier.  
He took off running towards it.

"Hey! Slow down!" He seemed to barely hear Helena's voice as he galloped through the yard. Helena watched the tunnel and the Palace doors for any sign of life, as she gingerly skipped along to follow him.

He scrambled up a stone wall that was behind the one that separated the yard and the front of the Palace. The Tower was just on the other side. He got to the top and lost his balance as he stood up.

"Gah!" He blurted out.  
A hand grabbed the back of his robe, and he regained his footing.

"Careful! You have to be more cautious, I'm sure they've got guards watching it." Helena reprimanded him. She pulled herself up.  
Three guards formed a triangle around the Tower, however they were all facing away, expecting trouble to appear from the other direction. It was only a few feet from where they were standing.

"We could sneak up to the back of it, and find a way up to one of the windows." Helena nodded in agreement.

They scaled down the backside of the wall and landed on the crumbly dirt. Helena eyed the guards as Valentine tried to grip the Tower's rear wall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She said to urge him on.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" He spat back at her.

Helena peered up at him in annoyance as he climbed higher up.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

He ignored her, and managed to curl his fingers around the outside sill of an octagonal window.

"Got it!" Valentine then contorted his body into the opening.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I fell onto the floor of my place, and I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Picking myself up, I walked over to the hatrack. Suddenly the floor vibrated, and a lone yellow spotlight shone on me. I didn't move, unsure what to do.

"Um...er...hello again..." I muttered.  
A quiet honking noise came from upstairs.

"Yes, I need to talk to you. What's going on with you? I thought you were my friend?" I replied to it,  
slowly wandering over to the bottom step of the stairs.

The Tower honked in a slow, melancholy tone.

"Oh, I don't think your stupid. I was just mad at that Gerald character. Your my friend, I don't want anything  
bad to happen to you. Remember that time we were in the  
city, and I bought all those jewels for you? You looked so  
amazing, all sparkly..."

It trumpeted back, but this time it had a nice, cheery sound.

"Yes yes! And then that bloke tried to take one off, and you sprayed him with water! That was so funny!" I laughed.  
"See? How could that child possibly do anything like that for  
you? He just lets you sit outside, in the cold. Please help me,  
and Helena. We really need you." I wrung my hands as I plead.

Several other yellow beams came on in the room, and the floor vibrated.  
I cheered.  
"Yes! Alright, let me get Helena. Just a minute."

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meanwhile, Helena was outside, in a bit of trouble. The guards had heard the Tower's noises from inside  
and were confused as they ran around it. Unfortunately, they spotted  
Helena crouching by the outer wall. Now alarmed at the humming from the Tower,  
they each chased her, trying to grab her and missing each time. She was running out of breath, as  
she dodged and jumped out of the guards way.

"Valentine! For god's sake, what're you doing in there?!" She screamed.

Valentine looked down at her from the window, panicked.  
He opened it and shouted back. "Sorry! Just a minute! Run over here!"

Trying to think on his feet, Valentine slid across the floor to the front door.  
Counting to himself, he kicked the door open as Helena was running for it  
straight on. She jumped, and he seized her by the waist, while she took the door  
knob and pulled it shut, just as the guards were sprinting behind her. The stepped back,  
as a loud thump rang against the door from the guards. Valentine locked the door as they both  
stood, panting.

"Whoo! Ok! Let's get out of here!" He hollered. The Tower responded,  
and they felt it lift off the ground.

"Finally..." Helena gasped, and she trotted over to the window. Down below,  
the guards clustered, staring at the Tower. They were getting smaller and smaller, just  
as a thin veil of sunlight peeked over the fuzzy horizon. She noticed that Valentine had left the room,  
so she walked upstairs to see what he was up to.  
She found him in a bedroom, taking in a view from an enormous window, sipping from a mug.

"Can you believe it? We finally got it back!" She said, standing behind him. She placed a hand  
on the back of his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. Yeah it's great." He responded enthusiastically.

"So, where are we off to? The city?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

"Cool."

Helena sat down on a corner of a large bed.

"Oh, here, you can rest if you'd like. It's all yours." He patted his hand  
on the blanket of the bed.

"Oh, thanks. What are you going to do until we get there?"

"I think I'll go clean up and organize downstairs. Make it look nice." He said  
with a grin.

"Ok." Helena knelt down on the bed, and plopped down on the fluffy surface.

Valentine turned and smiled at her again, then went to descend the stairs.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Helena awoke to a heavy weight on the edge of the bed. Pulling back the  
covers, she saw it was Valentine.

"Hey! Are you awake? I want to show you something."

A pale light from the window filled the room, and she saw that he was cupping  
something in his hands. She rubbed her eyes.

"Whats that?"

"Do you still have that pretty white stone?"

"Yeah, I think." Helena fumbled around and found the  
stone in her pocket.

He was holding a strange box, and when she took out the stone,  
he opened the box with his left hand. Inside was a kidney-shaped impression  
in the red velvet lining. Helena slowly fit the stone into it. The box began to  
glow, brighter then the light from the window. A blue mist swirled from the stone,  
and it formed a sheer, three-dimensional box drifted above the box. It formed into a  
small sphere, which rotated on an axis.

"What in the world is that?" Valentine said, intrigued.

"I think it is...the world?" Helena replied. "Look, there's the Palace of Light...and  
there's the city..." She said as she pointed at the sphere.

"Valentine, this is a map of this world! That I drew!" She called out with a smile.

"Wow, you can see everything, can't you?" Valentine reached out to touch it. It unexpectantly blurred,  
and transformed into a square. Inside, it was filled with the scene of a room, with a small bed, some bookshelves,  
and thousands of leaflets of black and white paper tacked to a wall. Valentine leaned closer, and he saw  
a wooden puppet hanging down from a corner. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...is that supposed to be me?" He crowed.

"What?" Helena leaned in to see what he confounded by. She saw her room, and then chuckled  
when she saw his puppet. "Oh yes, that's you. That's where I live. That's my room."

"That's your room? It has barley enough room for a bathtub."

"Well, yeah, but I like it. That's the room I was trying to tell you about. Through the windows."

"Ooooh." He looked over at her. "Suppose you'll be heading back soon?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Helena bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I have to. I really don't want to."

"Then don't." Valentine stretched out his hand and held hers.  
"You could stay here! We could use this to find new places!" He tried to  
convince her.

"I can't! I have my family! The circus!..." She pondered. "What if you came with me?"

"Could I do that? I mean, is it possible?"

"Well if I can do it, why can't you?"

Valentine pressed his lips together.

"Well if that's not a problem with you-"

"Course not! Do you want to go now?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Why don't we wait until we get  
the Tower back safely on the ground first."

**Chapter Twenty**

The Tower landed in an open plaza in the city of Light, during the  
late afternoon. A cloud of dust plumed up, and Valentine waved it away,  
coughing as he and Helena exited the Tower.

"So. Show me the way." He said.

Helena giggled. "We can't get there from here. We have to  
go to find a window."

They strolled over to the front of one of the houses that  
lined the street. Helena brought out the mirrormask and began to bring  
it to her face.

"Valentine, get ready. Hold onto me."

He complied, and held onto her shoulders. They both  
stared at the window, and their bodies started to expand,  
surrounded by a silver light. Then they were gone.

Somehow, Valentine ended up propped up against her closet, upside down.  
He shook his head in shock.

"Sheesh!"

Helena took off the mask, peering around her room. Then she glanced  
over at Valentine. "Shhh! My parents will hear you!" She whispered.

Pivoting around, she looked up at her drawings. Some of the newer ones  
had the edges beginning to curl up. Valentine righted himself, and walked  
over to where she was standing.

"You did all this?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Very nice." He added.

He sat down on her bed, admiring one of her pillows.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Go to school. Perform in the circus. Talk to my parents..." She listed.

"What's this "school" ?" He asked while pulling out feathers  
from the pillow.

"I have to go there to learn stuff. About the world and culture, politics,  
that sort of thing."

"Hmm." Valentine nodded. "When do you have to go to school?"

"Tomarrow morning." She glanced at her alarm clock, and it read five o'clock.  
"And no, you can't come with me. But I think you could probably come to the  
circus."

He perked up when he heard circus. "Really? Do they need a juggler?"

"We could always use another juggler." She said, smiling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Thrusting Valentine into the  
closet, she motioned for him to be silent.

"Helena, who are you talking to?" Her mother asked as she opened the  
door.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud. We could always use a new juggler, right?"

She folded her arms. "Yes, I suppose we do. Why don't you come downstairs  
for dinner. I made hashbrowns."

"Sure mum. Be down in a minute."

As she left, she kneeled down to look through the slots in the closet doors.  
She saw Valentines mask as bars of light splashed onto it.

"I have to go to dinner, but I'll be back. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"Bring me back something to drink, eh? I'm parched."

"Right. Sit tight."

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I sat down at the table, my parents already engaged in a chat. As I pulled  
up a chair, my dad turned to me.

"Helena, haven't seen you all day. Heard you been sick.  
Feeling any better, love?"

"A little." I sat and started shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.

"We were just discussing about hiring a new juggler, dear."

"MmmHmmf..." I responded, with a mouthful.

"Maybe we could do that tonight, yeah?" She said cheerfully.

I swallowed quickly. "Yeah, sounds like a great idea."

Back in my room, I held the plate of hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of  
orange juice in the other, then closed the door with my foot.

"I'm back!" I whispered loudly.

"Terrific! Where's the food? I can smell it." Valentine squeezed out of  
the closet, and jogged over to me. Swiping the glass and the plate, he sat down on  
a pillow and began eating hashbrowns with his hands.

"What do you think about juggling soon?" I sat down next to him, propping my chin up on  
my fists. He chewed and swallowed, then took a large gulp of juice.

"I like that idea.."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him in a hug. He choked on  
the hashbrowns for a second, then cleared his throat. Then I got up to go brush my teeth.

When I got back, he was laying on my bed, throwing a juggling ball  
back and forth between his hands.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, let's figure out where your going to sleep."

"How about right here?" He angled his arms behind his head in a  
relaxed position.

"Well, that's where I'm sleeping. You have to sleep somewhere else. How about  
on my beanbag chair?" I pointed.

"A bag of beans? How could that possibly be comfortable?"

"Oh just try it." He got up and sat back on the chair.

"Oh, this is nice. Really nice." Easing back, he closed his eyes.

Striding over to my dresser, I got out a fresh t-shirt. As my eyes watched Valentine, I  
crept over to the other side of the room and turned away from him.

"Don't look." I warned.

"At what?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Just, don't look." I hurried and slipped off the dirty shirt, then slipped on  
the clean one.

I crawled into bed, and flipped off the lightswitch.

"Good night."

"Night'." I heard him wiggle loudly around in the chair for a bit, then settle down.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Helena got up earlier then usual, and got dressed. Quietly, she  
tried to rouse Valentine up.

"C'mon, you got to get in the closet before me mum comes up to check  
on me."

He swatted her hand away, which she then returned by yanking his  
arm up and pushing him into the closet.

"Geez, not so hard. Bring me some food, will you?" He begged.

After breakfast, she stole some bacon and a juice box back to her room.  
Handing them to Valentine, she started packing her things into  
her backpack.

"I'll be back at 3, and for Pete's sake do not leave my room. If my  
mum comes in, hide in the closet or under the bed. Don't let her see you,  
or I'll be in huge trouble."

He watched as she ran back and forth, gathering things, then she stopped and  
went back to the closet. She held his head in her palm and kissed it gently,  
then left the room.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, on the bus, Helena was sketching in her small, black notebook. Paper cranes,  
walled fortresses, and random shapes filled out the page she was using. She was  
growing impatient, wishing the time would fly by faster.

Later, she sat in one of her classes, lathargically staring out the window. To  
her surprise, a tall, lone figure walked by the sidewalk she had  
been looking down at. She recognized his lanky stature, and his cropped, strawberry-blond  
hair. Her eyes widened in horror.

When the bell resonated through the hallways, she bolted from her seat and  
raced down to the sidewalk outside, where the guy had been standing.  
She admitted that although it looked like Valentine, he was wearing  
very un-Valentine like clothing. However, she still raced around the courtyard,  
searching for him. Her heart sank as she realized he was not there anymore.  
Scared, she ran for the bus back to the apartment.

Helena burst up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. As the door  
banged, she stood alone, greeted by an empty room.

"Valentine! Valentine, get out here now!" Her voice strained as she whispered.

"What?" He replied as the right side of the closet door opened.

"I told you that you can't leave my room!"

"But I didn't." His head poked out.

"I saw you! You were outside my school!"

"Helena, I promise, I did not step a foot outside this room."

"But I saw..." She trailed off, then realized something.

"What?" He asked in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh...nothing. Maybe it wasn't you."

"Hmmph. Well if that's all done, can I please get out or  
do something other then sit in this bloody cramped closet?"

"Sure. First we have to clean you up."

She lead him carefully into the bathroom across the way. Taking off  
his mask Valentine stood in front of the mirror, perplexed. Helena  
grabbed a small washcloth, and was lathering it with soap. She started  
scrubbing his face.

"Ow, be gentle." His mouth twisted in irritation.

"Sorry." She slowed down, and wiped the paint off.

Finally, it was all cleaned off. Valentine poked his cheeks,  
inspecting his skin.

"Right, now to get you some decent clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"They don't look right for my world. I bought you some more  
appropriate things. Here." She handed him a bag with a pair of jeans  
and a shirt. She waited outide the bathroom door, and then knocked after  
a couple of minutes. Valentine opened it, and to her shock, looked  
almost like the kid she had seen outide of her classroom. However,  
the shirt he had on was inside out.

"Let me help you fix that." She helped him take the shirt over his head,  
and began to turn it out the other way. Looking down at the shirt, Helena  
blushed a little as she glanced at Valentine's chest from the corner of  
her eye. He wasn't extremely buff; in fact he was more on the skinny side.  
She handed back the shirt, and he put it on.

"Not bad. But I do have to say green is just not my color." He quipped.

"Alright. So, in order for this to work, we'll have to wait until my  
parents leave, and drop out the window..."

"Oh really?" Valentine remarked happily.

Later, as Helena sat in her room and Valentine napped in the closet, her mother came up and opened the door.

"Almost circus time. You ready?"

"Yeah. Mum, I'll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little bit, I have to  
go...pick some books at the library."

"Alright, just make sure your not late." Her mother said, winking at her. "That would be a tragedy."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Sixteen**

The paper cranes gathered together in the sand, while Valentine and Helena walked over to them.

Helena stood next to the bird she had talked to earlier. It looked at her, then huddled down and spread it's sharp wings. Attentivly, she climbed aboard its back. Then it stood back up, and positioned itself in front of the flock.

"C'mon, they're not going to hurt you, they're trying to help us."

Valentine eyed the birds suspiciously. "Bloody creature..." He grumbled, as he hesitantly mounted the crane next to hers.

Taking off in a flurry of folded wings, Helena gazed down at the desert while she listened to the crackling sound of paper thrashing.  
The sky had turned a deep, murky indigo, and the light of small stars jabbed through the sky like tacks.

Meanwhile, Valentine was gripping his bird's wings tightly, and hugged its neck for dear life. Cold gales swept on either side of him, and he cringed through the entire journey.

Several moments later, the birds slowed their pace, and gravitated down towards the Dark Palace. Landing behind the Palace's outer wall, Valentine and Helena quietly got off the cranes.

"..Thank you ..so much.." Breathless, Helena thanked the flock. They just looked at her and Valentine curiously, then flew off, back into the desert.

In the dark, they crept around the outer wall to the courtyard where his Tower had been the day they escaped. Quickly looking around, Valentine searched around, but couldn't find the Tower.

"Where is it? It was here the other day!" He whispered anxiously, and Helena heard the swishing of his shirt sleeves as he paced around the yard.

She squinted beyond the palace.

"Over there! I think I see it! It must have been moved..."  
Valentines eyes followed her outstretched arm to the west side of the Palace. The dark, high figure of the Tower was sitting next to the outside barrier.  
He took off running towards it.

"Hey! Slow down!" He seemed to barely hear Helena's voice as he galloped through the yard. Helena watched the tunnel and the Palace doors for any sign of life, as she gingerly skipped along to follow him.

He scrambled up a stone wall that was behind the one that separated the yard and the front of the Palace. The Tower was just on the other side. He got to the top and lost his balance as he stood up.

"Gah!" He blurted out.  
A hand grabbed the back of his robe, and he regained his footing.

"Careful! You have to be more cautious, I'm sure they've got guards watching it." Helena reprimanded him. She pulled herself up.  
Three guards formed a triangle around the Tower, however they were all facing away, expecting trouble to appear from the other direction. It was only a few feet from where they were standing.

"We could sneak up to the back of it, and find a way up to one of the windows." Helena nodded in agreement.

They scaled down the backside of the wall and landed on the crumbly dirt. Helena eyed the guards as Valentine tried to grip the Tower's rear wall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She said to urge him on.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" He spat back at her.

Helena peered up at him in annoyance as he climbed higher up.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

He ignored her, and managed to curl his fingers around the outside sill of an octagonal window.

"Got it!" Valentine then contorted his body into the opening.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I fell onto the floor of my place, and I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Picking myself up, I walked over to the hatrack. Suddenly the floor vibrated, and a lone yellow spotlight shone on me. I didn't move, unsure what to do.

"Um...er...hello again..." I muttered.  
A quiet honking noise came from upstairs.

"Yes, I need to talk to you. What's going on with you? I thought you were my friend?" I replied to it,  
slowly wandering over to the bottom step of the stairs.

The Tower honked in a slow, melancholy tone.

"Oh, I don't think your stupid. I was just mad at that Gerald character. Your my friend, I don't want anything  
bad to happen to you. Remember that time we were in the  
city, and I bought all those jewels for you? You looked so  
amazing, all sparkly..."

It trumpeted back, but this time it had a nice, cheery sound.

"Yes yes! And then that bloke tried to take one off, and you sprayed him with water! That was so funny!" I laughed.  
"See? How could that child possibly do anything like that for  
you? He just lets you sit outside, in the cold. Please help me,  
and Helena. We really need you." I wrung my hands as I plead.

Several other yellow beams came on in the room, and the floor vibrated.  
I cheered.  
"Yes! Alright, let me get Helena. Just a minute."

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meanwhile, Helena was outside, in a bit of trouble. The guards had heard the Tower's noises from inside  
and were confused as they ran around it. Unfortunately, they spotted  
Helena crouching by the outer wall. Now alarmed at the humming from the Tower,  
they each chased her, trying to grab her and missing each time. She was running out of breath, as  
she dodged and jumped out of the guards way.

"Valentine! For god's sake, what're you doing in there?!" She screamed.

Valentine looked down at her from the window, panicked.  
He opened it and shouted back. "Sorry! Just a minute! Run over here!"

Trying to think on his feet, Valentine slid across the floor to the front door.  
Counting to himself, he kicked the door open as Helena was running for it  
straight on. She jumped, and he seized her by the waist, while she took the door  
knob and pulled it shut, just as the guards were sprinting behind her. The stepped back,  
as a loud thump rang against the door from the guards. Valentine locked the door as they both  
stood, panting.

"Whoo! Ok! Let's get out of here!" He hollered. The Tower responded,  
and they felt it lift off the ground.

"Finally..." Helena gasped, and she trotted over to the window. Down below,  
the guards clustered, staring at the Tower. They were getting smaller and smaller, just  
as a thin veil of sunlight peeked over the fuzzy horizon. She noticed that Valentine had left the room,  
so she walked upstairs to see what he was up to.  
She found him in a bedroom, taking in a view from an enormous window, sipping from a mug.

"Can you believe it? We finally got it back!" She said, standing behind him. She placed a hand  
on the back of his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. Yeah it's great." He responded enthusiastically.

"So, where are we off to? The city?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

"Cool."

Helena sat down on a corner of a large bed.

"Oh, here, you can rest if you'd like. It's all yours." He patted his hand  
on the blanket of the bed.

"Oh, thanks. What are you going to do until we get there?"

"I think I'll go clean up and organize downstairs. Make it look nice." He said  
with a grin.

"Ok." Helena knelt down on the bed, and plopped down on the fluffy surface.

Valentine turned and smiled at her again, then went to descend the stairs.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Helena awoke to a heavy weight on the edge of the bed. Pulling back the  
covers, she saw it was Valentine.

"Hey! Are you awake? I want to show you something."

A pale light from the window filled the room, and she saw that he was cupping  
something in his hands. She rubbed her eyes.

"Whats that?"

"Do you still have that pretty white stone?"

"Yeah, I think." Helena fumbled around and found the  
stone in her pocket.

He was holding a strange box, and when she took out the stone,  
he opened the box with his left hand. Inside was a kidney-shaped impression  
in the red velvet lining. Helena slowly fit the stone into it. The box began to  
glow, brighter then the light from the window. A blue mist swirled from the stone,  
and it formed a sheer, three-dimensional box drifted above the box. It formed into a  
small sphere, which rotated on an axis.

"What in the world is that?" Valentine said, intrigued.

"I think it is...the world?" Helena replied. "Look, there's the Palace of Light...and  
there's the city..." She said as she pointed at the sphere.

"Valentine, this is a map of this world! That I drew!" She called out with a smile.

"Wow, you can see everything, can't you?" Valentine reached out to touch it. It unexpectantly blurred,  
and transformed into a square. Inside, it was filled with the scene of a room, with a small bed, some bookshelves,  
and thousands of leaflets of black and white paper tacked to a wall. Valentine leaned closer, and he saw  
a wooden puppet hanging down from a corner. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...is that supposed to be me?" He crowed.

"What?" Helena leaned in to see what he confounded by. She saw her room, and then chuckled  
when she saw his puppet. "Oh yes, that's you. That's where I live. That's my room."

"That's your room? It has barley enough room for a bathtub."

"Well, yeah, but I like it. That's the room I was trying to tell you about. Through the windows."

"Ooooh." He looked over at her. "Suppose you'll be heading back soon?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Helena bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I have to. I really don't want to."

"Then don't." Valentine stretched out his hand and held hers.  
"You could stay here! We could use this to find new places!" He tried to  
convince her.

"I can't! I have my family! The circus!..." She pondered. "What if you came with me?"

"Could I do that? I mean, is it possible?"

"Well if I can do it, why can't you?"

Valentine pressed his lips together.

"Well if that's not a problem with you-"

"Course not! Do you want to go now?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Why don't we wait until we get  
the Tower back safely on the ground first."

**Chapter Twenty**

The Tower landed in an open plaza in the city of Light, during the  
late afternoon. A cloud of dust plumed up, and Valentine waved it away,  
coughing as he and Helena exited the Tower.

"So. Show me the way." He said.

Helena giggled. "We can't get there from here. We have to  
go to find a window."

They strolled over to the front of one of the houses that  
lined the street. Helena brought out the mirrormask and began to bring  
it to her face.

"Valentine, get ready. Hold onto me."

He complied, and held onto her shoulders. They both  
stared at the window, and their bodies started to expand,  
surrounded by a silver light. Then they were gone.

Somehow, Valentine ended up propped up against her closet, upside down.  
He shook his head in shock.

"Sheesh!"

Helena took off the mask, peering around her room. Then she glanced  
over at Valentine. "Shhh! My parents will hear you!" She whispered.

Pivoting around, she looked up at her drawings. Some of the newer ones  
had the edges beginning to curl up. Valentine righted himself, and walked  
over to where she was standing.

"You did all this?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Very nice." He added.

He sat down on her bed, admiring one of her pillows.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Go to school. Perform in the circus. Talk to my parents..." She listed.

"What's this "school" ?" He asked while pulling out feathers  
from the pillow.

"I have to go there to learn stuff. About the world and culture, politics,  
that sort of thing."

"Hmm." Valentine nodded. "When do you have to go to school?"

"Tomarrow morning." She glanced at her alarm clock, and it read five o'clock.  
"And no, you can't come with me. But I think you could probably come to the  
circus."

He perked up when he heard circus. "Really? Do they need a juggler?"

"We could always use another juggler." She said, smiling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Thrusting Valentine into the  
closet, she motioned for him to be silent.

"Helena, who are you talking to?" Her mother asked as she opened the  
door.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud. We could always use a new juggler, right?"

She folded her arms. "Yes, I suppose we do. Why don't you come downstairs  
for dinner. I made hashbrowns."

"Sure mum. Be down in a minute."

As she left, she kneeled down to look through the slots in the closet doors.  
She saw Valentines mask as bars of light splashed onto it.

"I have to go to dinner, but I'll be back. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"Bring me back something to drink, eh? I'm parched."

"Right. Sit tight."

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I sat down at the table, my parents already engaged in a chat. As I pulled  
up a chair, my dad turned to me.

"Helena, haven't seen you all day. Heard you been sick.  
Feeling any better, love?"

"A little." I sat and started shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.

"We were just discussing about hiring a new juggler, dear."

"MmmHmmf..." I responded, with a mouthful.

"Maybe we could do that tonight, yeah?" She said cheerfully.

I swallowed quickly. "Yeah, sounds like a great idea."

Back in my room, I held the plate of hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of  
orange juice in the other, then closed the door with my foot.

"I'm back!" I whispered loudly.

"Terrific! Where's the food? I can smell it." Valentine squeezed out of  
the closet, and jogged over to me. Swiping the glass and the plate, he sat down on  
a pillow and began eating hashbrowns with his hands.

"What do you think about juggling soon?" I sat down next to him, propping my chin up on  
my fists. He chewed and swallowed, then took a large gulp of juice.

"I like that idea.."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him in a hug. He choked on  
the hashbrowns for a second, then cleared his throat. Then I got up to go brush my teeth.

When I got back, he was laying on my bed, throwing a juggling ball  
back and forth between his hands.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, let's figure out where your going to sleep."

"How about right here?" He angled his arms behind his head in a  
relaxed position.

"Well, that's where I'm sleeping. You have to sleep somewhere else. How about  
on my beanbag chair?" I pointed.

"A bag of beans? How could that possibly be comfortable?"

"Oh just try it." He got up and sat back on the chair.

"Oh, this is nice. Really nice." Easing back, he closed his eyes.

Striding over to my dresser, I got out a fresh t-shirt. As my eyes watched Valentine, I  
crept over to the other side of the room and turned away from him.

"Don't look." I warned.

"At what?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Just, don't look." I hurried and slipped off the dirty shirt, then slipped on  
the clean one.

I crawled into bed, and flipped off the lightswitch.

"Good night."

"Night'." I heard him wiggle loudly around in the chair for a bit, then settle down.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Helena got up earlier then usual, and got dressed. Quietly, she  
tried to rouse Valentine up.

"C'mon, you got to get in the closet before me mum comes up to check  
on me."

He swatted her hand away, which she then returned by yanking his  
arm up and pushing him into the closet.

"Geez, not so hard. Bring me some food, will you?" He begged.

After breakfast, she stole some bacon and a juice box back to her room.  
Handing them to Valentine, she started packing her things into  
her backpack.

"I'll be back at 3, and for Pete's sake do not leave my room. If my  
mum comes in, hide in the closet or under the bed. Don't let her see you,  
or I'll be in huge trouble."

He watched as she ran back and forth, gathering things, then she stopped and  
went back to the closet. She held his head in her palm and kissed it gently,  
then left the room.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, on the bus, Helena was sketching in her small, black notebook. Paper cranes,  
walled fortresses, and random shapes filled out the page she was using. She was  
growing impatient, wishing the time would fly by faster.

Later, she sat in one of her classes, lathargically staring out the window. To  
her surprise, a tall, lone figure walked by the sidewalk she had  
been looking down at. She recognized his lanky stature, and his cropped, strawberry-blond  
hair. Her eyes widened in horror.

When the bell resonated through the hallways, she bolted from her seat and  
raced down to the sidewalk outside, where the guy had been standing.  
She admitted that although it looked like Valentine, he was wearing  
very un-Valentine like clothing. However, she still raced around the courtyard,  
searching for him. Her heart sank as she realized he was not there anymore.  
Scared, she ran for the bus back to the apartment.

Helena burst up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. As the door  
banged, she stood alone, greeted by an empty room.

"Valentine! Valentine, get out here now!" Her voice strained as she whispered.

"What?" He replied as the right side of the closet door opened.

"I told you that you can't leave my room!"

"But I didn't." His head poked out.

"I saw you! You were outside my school!"

"Helena, I promise, I did not step a foot outside this room."

"But I saw..." She trailed off, then realized something.

"What?" He asked in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh...nothing. Maybe it wasn't you."

"Hmmph. Well if that's all done, can I please get out or  
do something other then sit in this bloody cramped closet?"

"Sure. First we have to clean you up."

She lead him carefully into the bathroom across the way. Taking off  
his mask Valentine stood in front of the mirror, perplexed. Helena  
grabbed a small washcloth, and was lathering it with soap. She started  
scrubbing his face.

"Ow, be gentle." His mouth twisted in irritation.

"Sorry." She slowed down, and wiped the paint off.

Finally, it was all cleaned off. Valentine poked his cheeks,  
inspecting his skin.

"Right, now to get you some decent clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"They don't look right for my world. I bought you some more  
appropriate things. Here." She handed him a bag with a pair of jeans  
and a shirt. She waited outide the bathroom door, and then knocked after  
a couple of minutes. Valentine opened it, and to her shock, looked  
almost like the kid she had seen outide of her classroom. However,  
the shirt he had on was inside out.

"Let me help you fix that." She helped him take the shirt over his head,  
and began to turn it out the other way. Looking down at the shirt, Helena  
blushed a little as she glanced at Valentine's chest from the corner of  
her eye. He wasn't extremely buff; in fact he was more on the skinny side.  
She handed back the shirt, and he put it on.

"Not bad. But I do have to say green is just not my color." He quipped.

"Alright. So, in order for this to work, we'll have to wait until my  
parents leave, and drop out the window..."

"Oh really?" Valentine remarked happily.

Later, as Helena sat in her room and Valentine napped in the closet, her mother came up and opened the door.

"Almost circus time. You ready?"

"Yeah. Mum, I'll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little bit, I have to  
go...pick some books at the library."

"Alright, just make sure your not late." Her mother said, winking at her. "That would be a tragedy."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Sixteen**

The paper cranes gathered together in the sand, while Valentine and Helena walked over to them.

Helena stood next to the bird she had talked to earlier. It looked at her, then huddled down and spread it's sharp wings. Attentivly, she climbed aboard its back. Then it stood back up, and positioned itself in front of the flock.

"C'mon, they're not going to hurt you, they're trying to help us."

Valentine eyed the birds suspiciously. "Bloody creature..." He grumbled, as he hesitantly mounted the crane next to hers.

Taking off in a flurry of folded wings, Helena gazed down at the desert while she listened to the crackling sound of paper thrashing.  
The sky had turned a deep, murky indigo, and the light of small stars jabbed through the sky like tacks.

Meanwhile, Valentine was gripping his bird's wings tightly, and hugged its neck for dear life. Cold gales swept on either side of him, and he cringed through the entire journey.

Several moments later, the birds slowed their pace, and gravitated down towards the Dark Palace. Landing behind the Palace's outer wall, Valentine and Helena quietly got off the cranes.

"..Thank you ..so much.." Breathless, Helena thanked the flock. They just looked at her and Valentine curiously, then flew off, back into the desert.

In the dark, they crept around the outer wall to the courtyard where his Tower had been the day they escaped. Quickly looking around, Valentine searched around, but couldn't find the Tower.

"Where is it? It was here the other day!" He whispered anxiously, and Helena heard the swishing of his shirt sleeves as he paced around the yard.

She squinted beyond the palace.

"Over there! I think I see it! It must have been moved..."  
Valentines eyes followed her outstretched arm to the west side of the Palace. The dark, high figure of the Tower was sitting next to the outside barrier.  
He took off running towards it.

"Hey! Slow down!" He seemed to barely hear Helena's voice as he galloped through the yard. Helena watched the tunnel and the Palace doors for any sign of life, as she gingerly skipped along to follow him.

He scrambled up a stone wall that was behind the one that separated the yard and the front of the Palace. The Tower was just on the other side. He got to the top and lost his balance as he stood up.

"Gah!" He blurted out.  
A hand grabbed the back of his robe, and he regained his footing.

"Careful! You have to be more cautious, I'm sure they've got guards watching it." Helena reprimanded him. She pulled herself up.  
Three guards formed a triangle around the Tower, however they were all facing away, expecting trouble to appear from the other direction. It was only a few feet from where they were standing.

"We could sneak up to the back of it, and find a way up to one of the windows." Helena nodded in agreement.

They scaled down the backside of the wall and landed on the crumbly dirt. Helena eyed the guards as Valentine tried to grip the Tower's rear wall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She said to urge him on.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" He spat back at her.

Helena peered up at him in annoyance as he climbed higher up.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

He ignored her, and managed to curl his fingers around the outside sill of an octagonal window.

"Got it!" Valentine then contorted his body into the opening.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I fell onto the floor of my place, and I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Picking myself up, I walked over to the hatrack. Suddenly the floor vibrated, and a lone yellow spotlight shone on me. I didn't move, unsure what to do.

"Um...er...hello again..." I muttered.  
A quiet honking noise came from upstairs.

"Yes, I need to talk to you. What's going on with you? I thought you were my friend?" I replied to it,  
slowly wandering over to the bottom step of the stairs.

The Tower honked in a slow, melancholy tone.

"Oh, I don't think your stupid. I was just mad at that Gerald character. Your my friend, I don't want anything  
bad to happen to you. Remember that time we were in the  
city, and I bought all those jewels for you? You looked so  
amazing, all sparkly..."

It trumpeted back, but this time it had a nice, cheery sound.

"Yes yes! And then that bloke tried to take one off, and you sprayed him with water! That was so funny!" I laughed.  
"See? How could that child possibly do anything like that for  
you? He just lets you sit outside, in the cold. Please help me,  
and Helena. We really need you." I wrung my hands as I plead.

Several other yellow beams came on in the room, and the floor vibrated.  
I cheered.  
"Yes! Alright, let me get Helena. Just a minute."

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meanwhile, Helena was outside, in a bit of trouble. The guards had heard the Tower's noises from inside  
and were confused as they ran around it. Unfortunately, they spotted  
Helena crouching by the outer wall. Now alarmed at the humming from the Tower,  
they each chased her, trying to grab her and missing each time. She was running out of breath, as  
she dodged and jumped out of the guards way.

"Valentine! For god's sake, what're you doing in there?!" She screamed.

Valentine looked down at her from the window, panicked.  
He opened it and shouted back. "Sorry! Just a minute! Run over here!"

Trying to think on his feet, Valentine slid across the floor to the front door.  
Counting to himself, he kicked the door open as Helena was running for it  
straight on. She jumped, and he seized her by the waist, while she took the door  
knob and pulled it shut, just as the guards were sprinting behind her. The stepped back,  
as a loud thump rang against the door from the guards. Valentine locked the door as they both  
stood, panting.

"Whoo! Ok! Let's get out of here!" He hollered. The Tower responded,  
and they felt it lift off the ground.

"Finally..." Helena gasped, and she trotted over to the window. Down below,  
the guards clustered, staring at the Tower. They were getting smaller and smaller, just  
as a thin veil of sunlight peeked over the fuzzy horizon. She noticed that Valentine had left the room,  
so she walked upstairs to see what he was up to.  
She found him in a bedroom, taking in a view from an enormous window, sipping from a mug.

"Can you believe it? We finally got it back!" She said, standing behind him. She placed a hand  
on the back of his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. Yeah it's great." He responded enthusiastically.

"So, where are we off to? The city?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

"Cool."

Helena sat down on a corner of a large bed.

"Oh, here, you can rest if you'd like. It's all yours." He patted his hand  
on the blanket of the bed.

"Oh, thanks. What are you going to do until we get there?"

"I think I'll go clean up and organize downstairs. Make it look nice." He said  
with a grin.

"Ok." Helena knelt down on the bed, and plopped down on the fluffy surface.

Valentine turned and smiled at her again, then went to descend the stairs.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Helena awoke to a heavy weight on the edge of the bed. Pulling back the  
covers, she saw it was Valentine.

"Hey! Are you awake? I want to show you something."

A pale light from the window filled the room, and she saw that he was cupping  
something in his hands. She rubbed her eyes.

"Whats that?"

"Do you still have that pretty white stone?"

"Yeah, I think." Helena fumbled around and found the  
stone in her pocket.

He was holding a strange box, and when she took out the stone,  
he opened the box with his left hand. Inside was a kidney-shaped impression  
in the red velvet lining. Helena slowly fit the stone into it. The box began to  
glow, brighter then the light from the window. A blue mist swirled from the stone,  
and it formed a sheer, three-dimensional box drifted above the box. It formed into a  
small sphere, which rotated on an axis.

"What in the world is that?" Valentine said, intrigued.

"I think it is...the world?" Helena replied. "Look, there's the Palace of Light...and  
there's the city..." She said as she pointed at the sphere.

"Valentine, this is a map of this world! That I drew!" She called out with a smile.

"Wow, you can see everything, can't you?" Valentine reached out to touch it. It unexpectantly blurred,  
and transformed into a square. Inside, it was filled with the scene of a room, with a small bed, some bookshelves,  
and thousands of leaflets of black and white paper tacked to a wall. Valentine leaned closer, and he saw  
a wooden puppet hanging down from a corner. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...is that supposed to be me?" He crowed.

"What?" Helena leaned in to see what he confounded by. She saw her room, and then chuckled  
when she saw his puppet. "Oh yes, that's you. That's where I live. That's my room."

"That's your room? It has barley enough room for a bathtub."

"Well, yeah, but I like it. That's the room I was trying to tell you about. Through the windows."

"Ooooh." He looked over at her. "Suppose you'll be heading back soon?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Helena bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I have to. I really don't want to."

"Then don't." Valentine stretched out his hand and held hers.  
"You could stay here! We could use this to find new places!" He tried to  
convince her.

"I can't! I have my family! The circus!..." She pondered. "What if you came with me?"

"Could I do that? I mean, is it possible?"

"Well if I can do it, why can't you?"

Valentine pressed his lips together.

"Well if that's not a problem with you-"

"Course not! Do you want to go now?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Why don't we wait until we get  
the Tower back safely on the ground first."

**Chapter Twenty**

The Tower landed in an open plaza in the city of Light, during the  
late afternoon. A cloud of dust plumed up, and Valentine waved it away,  
coughing as he and Helena exited the Tower.

"So. Show me the way." He said.

Helena giggled. "We can't get there from here. We have to  
go to find a window."

They strolled over to the front of one of the houses that  
lined the street. Helena brought out the mirrormask and began to bring  
it to her face.

"Valentine, get ready. Hold onto me."

He complied, and held onto her shoulders. They both  
stared at the window, and their bodies started to expand,  
surrounded by a silver light. Then they were gone.

Somehow, Valentine ended up propped up against her closet, upside down.  
He shook his head in shock.

"Sheesh!"

Helena took off the mask, peering around her room. Then she glanced  
over at Valentine. "Shhh! My parents will hear you!" She whispered.

Pivoting around, she looked up at her drawings. Some of the newer ones  
had the edges beginning to curl up. Valentine righted himself, and walked  
over to where she was standing.

"You did all this?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Very nice." He added.

He sat down on her bed, admiring one of her pillows.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Go to school. Perform in the circus. Talk to my parents..." She listed.

"What's this "school" ?" He asked while pulling out feathers  
from the pillow.

"I have to go there to learn stuff. About the world and culture, politics,  
that sort of thing."

"Hmm." Valentine nodded. "When do you have to go to school?"

"Tomarrow morning." She glanced at her alarm clock, and it read five o'clock.  
"And no, you can't come with me. But I think you could probably come to the  
circus."

He perked up when he heard circus. "Really? Do they need a juggler?"

"We could always use another juggler." She said, smiling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Thrusting Valentine into the  
closet, she motioned for him to be silent.

"Helena, who are you talking to?" Her mother asked as she opened the  
door.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud. We could always use a new juggler, right?"

She folded her arms. "Yes, I suppose we do. Why don't you come downstairs  
for dinner. I made hashbrowns."

"Sure mum. Be down in a minute."

As she left, she kneeled down to look through the slots in the closet doors.  
She saw Valentines mask as bars of light splashed onto it.

"I have to go to dinner, but I'll be back. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"Bring me back something to drink, eh? I'm parched."

"Right. Sit tight."

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I sat down at the table, my parents already engaged in a chat. As I pulled  
up a chair, my dad turned to me.

"Helena, haven't seen you all day. Heard you been sick.  
Feeling any better, love?"

"A little." I sat and started shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.

"We were just discussing about hiring a new juggler, dear."

"MmmHmmf..." I responded, with a mouthful.

"Maybe we could do that tonight, yeah?" She said cheerfully.

I swallowed quickly. "Yeah, sounds like a great idea."

Back in my room, I held the plate of hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of  
orange juice in the other, then closed the door with my foot.

"I'm back!" I whispered loudly.

"Terrific! Where's the food? I can smell it." Valentine squeezed out of  
the closet, and jogged over to me. Swiping the glass and the plate, he sat down on  
a pillow and began eating hashbrowns with his hands.

"What do you think about juggling soon?" I sat down next to him, propping my chin up on  
my fists. He chewed and swallowed, then took a large gulp of juice.

"I like that idea.."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him in a hug. He choked on  
the hashbrowns for a second, then cleared his throat. Then I got up to go brush my teeth.

When I got back, he was laying on my bed, throwing a juggling ball  
back and forth between his hands.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, let's figure out where your going to sleep."

"How about right here?" He angled his arms behind his head in a  
relaxed position.

"Well, that's where I'm sleeping. You have to sleep somewhere else. How about  
on my beanbag chair?" I pointed.

"A bag of beans? How could that possibly be comfortable?"

"Oh just try it." He got up and sat back on the chair.

"Oh, this is nice. Really nice." Easing back, he closed his eyes.

Striding over to my dresser, I got out a fresh t-shirt. As my eyes watched Valentine, I  
crept over to the other side of the room and turned away from him.

"Don't look." I warned.

"At what?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Just, don't look." I hurried and slipped off the dirty shirt, then slipped on  
the clean one.

I crawled into bed, and flipped off the lightswitch.

"Good night."

"Night'." I heard him wiggle loudly around in the chair for a bit, then settle down.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Helena got up earlier then usual, and got dressed. Quietly, she  
tried to rouse Valentine up.

"C'mon, you got to get in the closet before me mum comes up to check  
on me."

He swatted her hand away, which she then returned by yanking his  
arm up and pushing him into the closet.

"Geez, not so hard. Bring me some food, will you?" He begged.

After breakfast, she stole some bacon and a juice box back to her room.  
Handing them to Valentine, she started packing her things into  
her backpack.

"I'll be back at 3, and for Pete's sake do not leave my room. If my  
mum comes in, hide in the closet or under the bed. Don't let her see you,  
or I'll be in huge trouble."

He watched as she ran back and forth, gathering things, then she stopped and  
went back to the closet. She held his head in her palm and kissed it gently,  
then left the room.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, on the bus, Helena was sketching in her small, black notebook. Paper cranes,  
walled fortresses, and random shapes filled out the page she was using. She was  
growing impatient, wishing the time would fly by faster.

Later, she sat in one of her classes, lathargically staring out the window. To  
her surprise, a tall, lone figure walked by the sidewalk she had  
been looking down at. She recognized his lanky stature, and his cropped, strawberry-blond  
hair. Her eyes widened in horror.

When the bell resonated through the hallways, she bolted from her seat and  
raced down to the sidewalk outside, where the guy had been standing.  
She admitted that although it looked like Valentine, he was wearing  
very un-Valentine like clothing. However, she still raced around the courtyard,  
searching for him. Her heart sank as she realized he was not there anymore.  
Scared, she ran for the bus back to the apartment.

Helena burst up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. As the door  
banged, she stood alone, greeted by an empty room.

"Valentine! Valentine, get out here now!" Her voice strained as she whispered.

"What?" He replied as the right side of the closet door opened.

"I told you that you can't leave my room!"

"But I didn't." His head poked out.

"I saw you! You were outside my school!"

"Helena, I promise, I did not step a foot outside this room."

"But I saw..." She trailed off, then realized something.

"What?" He asked in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh...nothing. Maybe it wasn't you."

"Hmmph. Well if that's all done, can I please get out or  
do something other then sit in this bloody cramped closet?"

"Sure. First we have to clean you up."

She lead him carefully into the bathroom across the way. Taking off  
his mask Valentine stood in front of the mirror, perplexed. Helena  
grabbed a small washcloth, and was lathering it with soap. She started  
scrubbing his face.

"Ow, be gentle." His mouth twisted in irritation.

"Sorry." She slowed down, and wiped the paint off.

Finally, it was all cleaned off. Valentine poked his cheeks,  
inspecting his skin.

"Right, now to get you some decent clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"They don't look right for my world. I bought you some more  
appropriate things. Here." She handed him a bag with a pair of jeans  
and a shirt. She waited outide the bathroom door, and then knocked after  
a couple of minutes. Valentine opened it, and to her shock, looked  
almost like the kid she had seen outide of her classroom. However,  
the shirt he had on was inside out.

"Let me help you fix that." She helped him take the shirt over his head,  
and began to turn it out the other way. Looking down at the shirt, Helena  
blushed a little as she glanced at Valentine's chest from the corner of  
her eye. He wasn't extremely buff; in fact he was more on the skinny side.  
She handed back the shirt, and he put it on.

"Not bad. But I do have to say green is just not my color." He quipped.

"Alright. So, in order for this to work, we'll have to wait until my  
parents leave, and drop out the window..."

"Oh really?" Valentine remarked happily.

Later, as Helena sat in her room and Valentine napped in the closet, her mother came up and opened the door.

"Almost circus time. You ready?"

"Yeah. Mum, I'll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little bit, I have to  
go...pick some books at the library."

"Alright, just make sure your not late." Her mother said, winking at her. "That would be a tragedy."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Sixteen**

The paper cranes gathered together in the sand, while Valentine and Helena walked over to them.

Helena stood next to the bird she had talked to earlier. It looked at her, then huddled down and spread it's sharp wings. Attentivly, she climbed aboard its back. Then it stood back up, and positioned itself in front of the flock.

"C'mon, they're not going to hurt you, they're trying to help us."

Valentine eyed the birds suspiciously. "Bloody creature..." He grumbled, as he hesitantly mounted the crane next to hers.

Taking off in a flurry of folded wings, Helena gazed down at the desert while she listened to the crackling sound of paper thrashing.  
The sky had turned a deep, murky indigo, and the light of small stars jabbed through the sky like tacks.

Meanwhile, Valentine was gripping his bird's wings tightly, and hugged its neck for dear life. Cold gales swept on either side of him, and he cringed through the entire journey.

Several moments later, the birds slowed their pace, and gravitated down towards the Dark Palace. Landing behind the Palace's outer wall, Valentine and Helena quietly got off the cranes.

"..Thank you ..so much.." Breathless, Helena thanked the flock. They just looked at her and Valentine curiously, then flew off, back into the desert.

In the dark, they crept around the outer wall to the courtyard where his Tower had been the day they escaped. Quickly looking around, Valentine searched around, but couldn't find the Tower.

"Where is it? It was here the other day!" He whispered anxiously, and Helena heard the swishing of his shirt sleeves as he paced around the yard.

She squinted beyond the palace.

"Over there! I think I see it! It must have been moved..."  
Valentines eyes followed her outstretched arm to the west side of the Palace. The dark, high figure of the Tower was sitting next to the outside barrier.  
He took off running towards it.

"Hey! Slow down!" He seemed to barely hear Helena's voice as he galloped through the yard. Helena watched the tunnel and the Palace doors for any sign of life, as she gingerly skipped along to follow him.

He scrambled up a stone wall that was behind the one that separated the yard and the front of the Palace. The Tower was just on the other side. He got to the top and lost his balance as he stood up.

"Gah!" He blurted out.  
A hand grabbed the back of his robe, and he regained his footing.

"Careful! You have to be more cautious, I'm sure they've got guards watching it." Helena reprimanded him. She pulled herself up.  
Three guards formed a triangle around the Tower, however they were all facing away, expecting trouble to appear from the other direction. It was only a few feet from where they were standing.

"We could sneak up to the back of it, and find a way up to one of the windows." Helena nodded in agreement.

They scaled down the backside of the wall and landed on the crumbly dirt. Helena eyed the guards as Valentine tried to grip the Tower's rear wall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She said to urge him on.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" He spat back at her.

Helena peered up at him in annoyance as he climbed higher up.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

He ignored her, and managed to curl his fingers around the outside sill of an octagonal window.

"Got it!" Valentine then contorted his body into the opening.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I fell onto the floor of my place, and I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Picking myself up, I walked over to the hatrack. Suddenly the floor vibrated, and a lone yellow spotlight shone on me. I didn't move, unsure what to do.

"Um...er...hello again..." I muttered.  
A quiet honking noise came from upstairs.

"Yes, I need to talk to you. What's going on with you? I thought you were my friend?" I replied to it,  
slowly wandering over to the bottom step of the stairs.

The Tower honked in a slow, melancholy tone.

"Oh, I don't think your stupid. I was just mad at that Gerald character. Your my friend, I don't want anything  
bad to happen to you. Remember that time we were in the  
city, and I bought all those jewels for you? You looked so  
amazing, all sparkly..."

It trumpeted back, but this time it had a nice, cheery sound.

"Yes yes! And then that bloke tried to take one off, and you sprayed him with water! That was so funny!" I laughed.  
"See? How could that child possibly do anything like that for  
you? He just lets you sit outside, in the cold. Please help me,  
and Helena. We really need you." I wrung my hands as I plead.

Several other yellow beams came on in the room, and the floor vibrated.  
I cheered.  
"Yes! Alright, let me get Helena. Just a minute."

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meanwhile, Helena was outside, in a bit of trouble. The guards had heard the Tower's noises from inside  
and were confused as they ran around it. Unfortunately, they spotted  
Helena crouching by the outer wall. Now alarmed at the humming from the Tower,  
they each chased her, trying to grab her and missing each time. She was running out of breath, as  
she dodged and jumped out of the guards way.

"Valentine! For god's sake, what're you doing in there?!" She screamed.

Valentine looked down at her from the window, panicked.  
He opened it and shouted back. "Sorry! Just a minute! Run over here!"

Trying to think on his feet, Valentine slid across the floor to the front door.  
Counting to himself, he kicked the door open as Helena was running for it  
straight on. She jumped, and he seized her by the waist, while she took the door  
knob and pulled it shut, just as the guards were sprinting behind her. The stepped back,  
as a loud thump rang against the door from the guards. Valentine locked the door as they both  
stood, panting.

"Whoo! Ok! Let's get out of here!" He hollered. The Tower responded,  
and they felt it lift off the ground.

"Finally..." Helena gasped, and she trotted over to the window. Down below,  
the guards clustered, staring at the Tower. They were getting smaller and smaller, just  
as a thin veil of sunlight peeked over the fuzzy horizon. She noticed that Valentine had left the room,  
so she walked upstairs to see what he was up to.  
She found him in a bedroom, taking in a view from an enormous window, sipping from a mug.

"Can you believe it? We finally got it back!" She said, standing behind him. She placed a hand  
on the back of his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. Yeah it's great." He responded enthusiastically.

"So, where are we off to? The city?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

"Cool."

Helena sat down on a corner of a large bed.

"Oh, here, you can rest if you'd like. It's all yours." He patted his hand  
on the blanket of the bed.

"Oh, thanks. What are you going to do until we get there?"

"I think I'll go clean up and organize downstairs. Make it look nice." He said  
with a grin.

"Ok." Helena knelt down on the bed, and plopped down on the fluffy surface.

Valentine turned and smiled at her again, then went to descend the stairs.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Helena awoke to a heavy weight on the edge of the bed. Pulling back the  
covers, she saw it was Valentine.

"Hey! Are you awake? I want to show you something."

A pale light from the window filled the room, and she saw that he was cupping  
something in his hands. She rubbed her eyes.

"Whats that?"

"Do you still have that pretty white stone?"

"Yeah, I think." Helena fumbled around and found the  
stone in her pocket.

He was holding a strange box, and when she took out the stone,  
he opened the box with his left hand. Inside was a kidney-shaped impression  
in the red velvet lining. Helena slowly fit the stone into it. The box began to  
glow, brighter then the light from the window. A blue mist swirled from the stone,  
and it formed a sheer, three-dimensional box drifted above the box. It formed into a  
small sphere, which rotated on an axis.

"What in the world is that?" Valentine said, intrigued.

"I think it is...the world?" Helena replied. "Look, there's the Palace of Light...and  
there's the city..." She said as she pointed at the sphere.

"Valentine, this is a map of this world! That I drew!" She called out with a smile.

"Wow, you can see everything, can't you?" Valentine reached out to touch it. It unexpectantly blurred,  
and transformed into a square. Inside, it was filled with the scene of a room, with a small bed, some bookshelves,  
and thousands of leaflets of black and white paper tacked to a wall. Valentine leaned closer, and he saw  
a wooden puppet hanging down from a corner. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...is that supposed to be me?" He crowed.

"What?" Helena leaned in to see what he confounded by. She saw her room, and then chuckled  
when she saw his puppet. "Oh yes, that's you. That's where I live. That's my room."

"That's your room? It has barley enough room for a bathtub."

"Well, yeah, but I like it. That's the room I was trying to tell you about. Through the windows."

"Ooooh." He looked over at her. "Suppose you'll be heading back soon?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Helena bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I have to. I really don't want to."

"Then don't." Valentine stretched out his hand and held hers.  
"You could stay here! We could use this to find new places!" He tried to  
convince her.

"I can't! I have my family! The circus!..." She pondered. "What if you came with me?"

"Could I do that? I mean, is it possible?"

"Well if I can do it, why can't you?"

Valentine pressed his lips together.

"Well if that's not a problem with you-"

"Course not! Do you want to go now?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Why don't we wait until we get  
the Tower back safely on the ground first."

**Chapter Twenty**

The Tower landed in an open plaza in the city of Light, during the  
late afternoon. A cloud of dust plumed up, and Valentine waved it away,  
coughing as he and Helena exited the Tower.

"So. Show me the way." He said.

Helena giggled. "We can't get there from here. We have to  
go to find a window."

They strolled over to the front of one of the houses that  
lined the street. Helena brought out the mirrormask and began to bring  
it to her face.

"Valentine, get ready. Hold onto me."

He complied, and held onto her shoulders. They both  
stared at the window, and their bodies started to expand,  
surrounded by a silver light. Then they were gone.

Somehow, Valentine ended up propped up against her closet, upside down.  
He shook his head in shock.

"Sheesh!"

Helena took off the mask, peering around her room. Then she glanced  
over at Valentine. "Shhh! My parents will hear you!" She whispered.

Pivoting around, she looked up at her drawings. Some of the newer ones  
had the edges beginning to curl up. Valentine righted himself, and walked  
over to where she was standing.

"You did all this?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Very nice." He added.

He sat down on her bed, admiring one of her pillows.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Go to school. Perform in the circus. Talk to my parents..." She listed.

"What's this "school" ?" He asked while pulling out feathers  
from the pillow.

"I have to go there to learn stuff. About the world and culture, politics,  
that sort of thing."

"Hmm." Valentine nodded. "When do you have to go to school?"

"Tomarrow morning." She glanced at her alarm clock, and it read five o'clock.  
"And no, you can't come with me. But I think you could probably come to the  
circus."

He perked up when he heard circus. "Really? Do they need a juggler?"

"We could always use another juggler." She said, smiling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Thrusting Valentine into the  
closet, she motioned for him to be silent.

"Helena, who are you talking to?" Her mother asked as she opened the  
door.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud. We could always use a new juggler, right?"

She folded her arms. "Yes, I suppose we do. Why don't you come downstairs  
for dinner. I made hashbrowns."

"Sure mum. Be down in a minute."

As she left, she kneeled down to look through the slots in the closet doors.  
She saw Valentines mask as bars of light splashed onto it.

"I have to go to dinner, but I'll be back. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"Bring me back something to drink, eh? I'm parched."

"Right. Sit tight."

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I sat down at the table, my parents already engaged in a chat. As I pulled  
up a chair, my dad turned to me.

"Helena, haven't seen you all day. Heard you been sick.  
Feeling any better, love?"

"A little." I sat and started shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.

"We were just discussing about hiring a new juggler, dear."

"MmmHmmf..." I responded, with a mouthful.

"Maybe we could do that tonight, yeah?" She said cheerfully.

I swallowed quickly. "Yeah, sounds like a great idea."

Back in my room, I held the plate of hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of  
orange juice in the other, then closed the door with my foot.

"I'm back!" I whispered loudly.

"Terrific! Where's the food? I can smell it." Valentine squeezed out of  
the closet, and jogged over to me. Swiping the glass and the plate, he sat down on  
a pillow and began eating hashbrowns with his hands.

"What do you think about juggling soon?" I sat down next to him, propping my chin up on  
my fists. He chewed and swallowed, then took a large gulp of juice.

"I like that idea.."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him in a hug. He choked on  
the hashbrowns for a second, then cleared his throat. Then I got up to go brush my teeth.

When I got back, he was laying on my bed, throwing a juggling ball  
back and forth between his hands.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, let's figure out where your going to sleep."

"How about right here?" He angled his arms behind his head in a  
relaxed position.

"Well, that's where I'm sleeping. You have to sleep somewhere else. How about  
on my beanbag chair?" I pointed.

"A bag of beans? How could that possibly be comfortable?"

"Oh just try it." He got up and sat back on the chair.

"Oh, this is nice. Really nice." Easing back, he closed his eyes.

Striding over to my dresser, I got out a fresh t-shirt. As my eyes watched Valentine, I  
crept over to the other side of the room and turned away from him.

"Don't look." I warned.

"At what?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Just, don't look." I hurried and slipped off the dirty shirt, then slipped on  
the clean one.

I crawled into bed, and flipped off the lightswitch.

"Good night."

"Night'." I heard him wiggle loudly around in the chair for a bit, then settle down.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Helena got up earlier then usual, and got dressed. Quietly, she  
tried to rouse Valentine up.

"C'mon, you got to get in the closet before me mum comes up to check  
on me."

He swatted her hand away, which she then returned by yanking his  
arm up and pushing him into the closet.

"Geez, not so hard. Bring me some food, will you?" He begged.

After breakfast, she stole some bacon and a juice box back to her room.  
Handing them to Valentine, she started packing her things into  
her backpack.

"I'll be back at 3, and for Pete's sake do not leave my room. If my  
mum comes in, hide in the closet or under the bed. Don't let her see you,  
or I'll be in huge trouble."

He watched as she ran back and forth, gathering things, then she stopped and  
went back to the closet. She held his head in her palm and kissed it gently,  
then left the room.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, on the bus, Helena was sketching in her small, black notebook. Paper cranes,  
walled fortresses, and random shapes filled out the page she was using. She was  
growing impatient, wishing the time would fly by faster.

Later, she sat in one of her classes, lathargically staring out the window. To  
her surprise, a tall, lone figure walked by the sidewalk she had  
been looking down at. She recognized his lanky stature, and his cropped, strawberry-blond  
hair. Her eyes widened in horror.

When the bell resonated through the hallways, she bolted from her seat and  
raced down to the sidewalk outside, where the guy had been standing.  
She admitted that although it looked like Valentine, he was wearing  
very un-Valentine like clothing. However, she still raced around the courtyard,  
searching for him. Her heart sank as she realized he was not there anymore.  
Scared, she ran for the bus back to the apartment.

Helena burst up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. As the door  
banged, she stood alone, greeted by an empty room.

"Valentine! Valentine, get out here now!" Her voice strained as she whispered.

"What?" He replied as the right side of the closet door opened.

"I told you that you can't leave my room!"

"But I didn't." His head poked out.

"I saw you! You were outside my school!"

"Helena, I promise, I did not step a foot outside this room."

"But I saw..." She trailed off, then realized something.

"What?" He asked in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh...nothing. Maybe it wasn't you."

"Hmmph. Well if that's all done, can I please get out or  
do something other then sit in this bloody cramped closet?"

"Sure. First we have to clean you up."

She lead him carefully into the bathroom across the way. Taking off  
his mask Valentine stood in front of the mirror, perplexed. Helena  
grabbed a small washcloth, and was lathering it with soap. She started  
scrubbing his face.

"Ow, be gentle." His mouth twisted in irritation.

"Sorry." She slowed down, and wiped the paint off.

Finally, it was all cleaned off. Valentine poked his cheeks,  
inspecting his skin.

"Right, now to get you some decent clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"They don't look right for my world. I bought you some more  
appropriate things. Here." She handed him a bag with a pair of jeans  
and a shirt. She waited outide the bathroom door, and then knocked after  
a couple of minutes. Valentine opened it, and to her shock, looked  
almost like the kid she had seen outide of her classroom. However,  
the shirt he had on was inside out.

"Let me help you fix that." She helped him take the shirt over his head,  
and began to turn it out the other way. Looking down at the shirt, Helena  
blushed a little as she glanced at Valentine's chest from the corner of  
her eye. He wasn't extremely buff; in fact he was more on the skinny side.  
She handed back the shirt, and he put it on.

"Not bad. But I do have to say green is just not my color." He quipped.

"Alright. So, in order for this to work, we'll have to wait until my  
parents leave, and drop out the window..."

"Oh really?" Valentine remarked happily.

Later, as Helena sat in her room and Valentine napped in the closet, her mother came up and opened the door.

"Almost circus time. You ready?"

"Yeah. Mum, I'll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little bit, I have to  
go...pick some books at the library."

"Alright, just make sure your not late." Her mother said, winking at her. "That would be a tragedy."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Sixteen**

The paper cranes gathered together in the sand, while Valentine and Helena walked over to them.

Helena stood next to the bird she had talked to earlier. It looked at her, then huddled down and spread it's sharp wings. Attentivly, she climbed aboard its back. Then it stood back up, and positioned itself in front of the flock.

"C'mon, they're not going to hurt you, they're trying to help us."

Valentine eyed the birds suspiciously. "Bloody creature..." He grumbled, as he hesitantly mounted the crane next to hers.

Taking off in a flurry of folded wings, Helena gazed down at the desert while she listened to the crackling sound of paper thrashing.  
The sky had turned a deep, murky indigo, and the light of small stars jabbed through the sky like tacks.

Meanwhile, Valentine was gripping his bird's wings tightly, and hugged its neck for dear life. Cold gales swept on either side of him, and he cringed through the entire journey.

Several moments later, the birds slowed their pace, and gravitated down towards the Dark Palace. Landing behind the Palace's outer wall, Valentine and Helena quietly got off the cranes.

"..Thank you ..so much.." Breathless, Helena thanked the flock. They just looked at her and Valentine curiously, then flew off, back into the desert.

In the dark, they crept around the outer wall to the courtyard where his Tower had been the day they escaped. Quickly looking around, Valentine searched around, but couldn't find the Tower.

"Where is it? It was here the other day!" He whispered anxiously, and Helena heard the swishing of his shirt sleeves as he paced around the yard.

She squinted beyond the palace.

"Over there! I think I see it! It must have been moved..."  
Valentines eyes followed her outstretched arm to the west side of the Palace. The dark, high figure of the Tower was sitting next to the outside barrier.  
He took off running towards it.

"Hey! Slow down!" He seemed to barely hear Helena's voice as he galloped through the yard. Helena watched the tunnel and the Palace doors for any sign of life, as she gingerly skipped along to follow him.

He scrambled up a stone wall that was behind the one that separated the yard and the front of the Palace. The Tower was just on the other side. He got to the top and lost his balance as he stood up.

"Gah!" He blurted out.  
A hand grabbed the back of his robe, and he regained his footing.

"Careful! You have to be more cautious, I'm sure they've got guards watching it." Helena reprimanded him. She pulled herself up.  
Three guards formed a triangle around the Tower, however they were all facing away, expecting trouble to appear from the other direction. It was only a few feet from where they were standing.

"We could sneak up to the back of it, and find a way up to one of the windows." Helena nodded in agreement.

They scaled down the backside of the wall and landed on the crumbly dirt. Helena eyed the guards as Valentine tried to grip the Tower's rear wall.

"C'mon, c'mon!" She said to urge him on.

"Be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate here!" He spat back at her.

Helena peered up at him in annoyance as he climbed higher up.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

He ignored her, and managed to curl his fingers around the outside sill of an octagonal window.

"Got it!" Valentine then contorted his body into the opening.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I fell onto the floor of my place, and I noticed it was very dark and gloomy. Picking myself up, I walked over to the hatrack. Suddenly the floor vibrated, and a lone yellow spotlight shone on me. I didn't move, unsure what to do.

"Um...er...hello again..." I muttered.  
A quiet honking noise came from upstairs.

"Yes, I need to talk to you. What's going on with you? I thought you were my friend?" I replied to it,  
slowly wandering over to the bottom step of the stairs.

The Tower honked in a slow, melancholy tone.

"Oh, I don't think your stupid. I was just mad at that Gerald character. Your my friend, I don't want anything  
bad to happen to you. Remember that time we were in the  
city, and I bought all those jewels for you? You looked so  
amazing, all sparkly..."

It trumpeted back, but this time it had a nice, cheery sound.

"Yes yes! And then that bloke tried to take one off, and you sprayed him with water! That was so funny!" I laughed.  
"See? How could that child possibly do anything like that for  
you? He just lets you sit outside, in the cold. Please help me,  
and Helena. We really need you." I wrung my hands as I plead.

Several other yellow beams came on in the room, and the floor vibrated.  
I cheered.  
"Yes! Alright, let me get Helena. Just a minute."

**Chapter Eighteen**

Meanwhile, Helena was outside, in a bit of trouble. The guards had heard the Tower's noises from inside  
and were confused as they ran around it. Unfortunately, they spotted  
Helena crouching by the outer wall. Now alarmed at the humming from the Tower,  
they each chased her, trying to grab her and missing each time. She was running out of breath, as  
she dodged and jumped out of the guards way.

"Valentine! For god's sake, what're you doing in there?!" She screamed.

Valentine looked down at her from the window, panicked.  
He opened it and shouted back. "Sorry! Just a minute! Run over here!"

Trying to think on his feet, Valentine slid across the floor to the front door.  
Counting to himself, he kicked the door open as Helena was running for it  
straight on. She jumped, and he seized her by the waist, while she took the door  
knob and pulled it shut, just as the guards were sprinting behind her. The stepped back,  
as a loud thump rang against the door from the guards. Valentine locked the door as they both  
stood, panting.

"Whoo! Ok! Let's get out of here!" He hollered. The Tower responded,  
and they felt it lift off the ground.

"Finally..." Helena gasped, and she trotted over to the window. Down below,  
the guards clustered, staring at the Tower. They were getting smaller and smaller, just  
as a thin veil of sunlight peeked over the fuzzy horizon. She noticed that Valentine had left the room,  
so she walked upstairs to see what he was up to.  
She found him in a bedroom, taking in a view from an enormous window, sipping from a mug.

"Can you believe it? We finally got it back!" She said, standing behind him. She placed a hand  
on the back of his shoulder.

"Oh yeah. Yeah it's great." He responded enthusiastically.

"So, where are we off to? The city?" She questioned.

"Um, yeah, that's pretty much the plan."

"Cool."

Helena sat down on a corner of a large bed.

"Oh, here, you can rest if you'd like. It's all yours." He patted his hand  
on the blanket of the bed.

"Oh, thanks. What are you going to do until we get there?"

"I think I'll go clean up and organize downstairs. Make it look nice." He said  
with a grin.

"Ok." Helena knelt down on the bed, and plopped down on the fluffy surface.

Valentine turned and smiled at her again, then went to descend the stairs.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Helena awoke to a heavy weight on the edge of the bed. Pulling back the  
covers, she saw it was Valentine.

"Hey! Are you awake? I want to show you something."

A pale light from the window filled the room, and she saw that he was cupping  
something in his hands. She rubbed her eyes.

"Whats that?"

"Do you still have that pretty white stone?"

"Yeah, I think." Helena fumbled around and found the  
stone in her pocket.

He was holding a strange box, and when she took out the stone,  
he opened the box with his left hand. Inside was a kidney-shaped impression  
in the red velvet lining. Helena slowly fit the stone into it. The box began to  
glow, brighter then the light from the window. A blue mist swirled from the stone,  
and it formed a sheer, three-dimensional box drifted above the box. It formed into a  
small sphere, which rotated on an axis.

"What in the world is that?" Valentine said, intrigued.

"I think it is...the world?" Helena replied. "Look, there's the Palace of Light...and  
there's the city..." She said as she pointed at the sphere.

"Valentine, this is a map of this world! That I drew!" She called out with a smile.

"Wow, you can see everything, can't you?" Valentine reached out to touch it. It unexpectantly blurred,  
and transformed into a square. Inside, it was filled with the scene of a room, with a small bed, some bookshelves,  
and thousands of leaflets of black and white paper tacked to a wall. Valentine leaned closer, and he saw  
a wooden puppet hanging down from a corner. It looked vaguely familiar.

"Is that...is that supposed to be me?" He crowed.

"What?" Helena leaned in to see what he confounded by. She saw her room, and then chuckled  
when she saw his puppet. "Oh yes, that's you. That's where I live. That's my room."

"That's your room? It has barley enough room for a bathtub."

"Well, yeah, but I like it. That's the room I was trying to tell you about. Through the windows."

"Ooooh." He looked over at her. "Suppose you'll be heading back soon?"

They were both quiet for a moment. Helena bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, I have to. I really don't want to."

"Then don't." Valentine stretched out his hand and held hers.  
"You could stay here! We could use this to find new places!" He tried to  
convince her.

"I can't! I have my family! The circus!..." She pondered. "What if you came with me?"

"Could I do that? I mean, is it possible?"

"Well if I can do it, why can't you?"

Valentine pressed his lips together.

"Well if that's not a problem with you-"

"Course not! Do you want to go now?"

"Whoa, wait a minute. Why don't we wait until we get  
the Tower back safely on the ground first."

**Chapter Twenty**

The Tower landed in an open plaza in the city of Light, during the  
late afternoon. A cloud of dust plumed up, and Valentine waved it away,  
coughing as he and Helena exited the Tower.

"So. Show me the way." He said.

Helena giggled. "We can't get there from here. We have to  
go to find a window."

They strolled over to the front of one of the houses that  
lined the street. Helena brought out the mirrormask and began to bring  
it to her face.

"Valentine, get ready. Hold onto me."

He complied, and held onto her shoulders. They both  
stared at the window, and their bodies started to expand,  
surrounded by a silver light. Then they were gone.

Somehow, Valentine ended up propped up against her closet, upside down.  
He shook his head in shock.

"Sheesh!"

Helena took off the mask, peering around her room. Then she glanced  
over at Valentine. "Shhh! My parents will hear you!" She whispered.

Pivoting around, she looked up at her drawings. Some of the newer ones  
had the edges beginning to curl up. Valentine righted himself, and walked  
over to where she was standing.

"You did all this?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Very nice." He added.

He sat down on her bed, admiring one of her pillows.

"What exactly do you do here?"

"Go to school. Perform in the circus. Talk to my parents..." She listed.

"What's this "school" ?" He asked while pulling out feathers  
from the pillow.

"I have to go there to learn stuff. About the world and culture, politics,  
that sort of thing."

"Hmm." Valentine nodded. "When do you have to go to school?"

"Tomarrow morning." She glanced at her alarm clock, and it read five o'clock.  
"And no, you can't come with me. But I think you could probably come to the  
circus."

He perked up when he heard circus. "Really? Do they need a juggler?"

"We could always use another juggler." She said, smiling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming up the hallway. Thrusting Valentine into the  
closet, she motioned for him to be silent.

"Helena, who are you talking to?" Her mother asked as she opened the  
door.

"Oh, I was just thinking out loud. We could always use a new juggler, right?"

She folded her arms. "Yes, I suppose we do. Why don't you come downstairs  
for dinner. I made hashbrowns."

"Sure mum. Be down in a minute."

As she left, she kneeled down to look through the slots in the closet doors.  
She saw Valentines mask as bars of light splashed onto it.

"I have to go to dinner, but I'll be back. I'll bring you something good to eat."

"Bring me back something to drink, eh? I'm parched."

"Right. Sit tight."

**Chapter Twenty-One**

I sat down at the table, my parents already engaged in a chat. As I pulled  
up a chair, my dad turned to me.

"Helena, haven't seen you all day. Heard you been sick.  
Feeling any better, love?"

"A little." I sat and started shoveling hashbrowns into my mouth.

"We were just discussing about hiring a new juggler, dear."

"MmmHmmf..." I responded, with a mouthful.

"Maybe we could do that tonight, yeah?" She said cheerfully.

I swallowed quickly. "Yeah, sounds like a great idea."

Back in my room, I held the plate of hashbrowns in one hand and a glass of  
orange juice in the other, then closed the door with my foot.

"I'm back!" I whispered loudly.

"Terrific! Where's the food? I can smell it." Valentine squeezed out of  
the closet, and jogged over to me. Swiping the glass and the plate, he sat down on  
a pillow and began eating hashbrowns with his hands.

"What do you think about juggling soon?" I sat down next to him, propping my chin up on  
my fists. He chewed and swallowed, then took a large gulp of juice.

"I like that idea.."

"Fantastic!" I exclaimed, and flung my arms around him in a hug. He choked on  
the hashbrowns for a second, then cleared his throat. Then I got up to go brush my teeth.

When I got back, he was laying on my bed, throwing a juggling ball  
back and forth between his hands.

"Um, I have to go to bed now, let's figure out where your going to sleep."

"How about right here?" He angled his arms behind his head in a  
relaxed position.

"Well, that's where I'm sleeping. You have to sleep somewhere else. How about  
on my beanbag chair?" I pointed.

"A bag of beans? How could that possibly be comfortable?"

"Oh just try it." He got up and sat back on the chair.

"Oh, this is nice. Really nice." Easing back, he closed his eyes.

Striding over to my dresser, I got out a fresh t-shirt. As my eyes watched Valentine, I  
crept over to the other side of the room and turned away from him.

"Don't look." I warned.

"At what?" He asked in a confused voice.

"Just, don't look." I hurried and slipped off the dirty shirt, then slipped on  
the clean one.

I crawled into bed, and flipped off the lightswitch.

"Good night."

"Night'." I heard him wiggle loudly around in the chair for a bit, then settle down.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Helena got up earlier then usual, and got dressed. Quietly, she  
tried to rouse Valentine up.

"C'mon, you got to get in the closet before me mum comes up to check  
on me."

He swatted her hand away, which she then returned by yanking his  
arm up and pushing him into the closet.

"Geez, not so hard. Bring me some food, will you?" He begged.

After breakfast, she stole some bacon and a juice box back to her room.  
Handing them to Valentine, she started packing her things into  
her backpack.

"I'll be back at 3, and for Pete's sake do not leave my room. If my  
mum comes in, hide in the closet or under the bed. Don't let her see you,  
or I'll be in huge trouble."

He watched as she ran back and forth, gathering things, then she stopped and  
went back to the closet. She held his head in her palm and kissed it gently,  
then left the room.

After a moment, he let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, on the bus, Helena was sketching in her small, black notebook. Paper cranes,  
walled fortresses, and random shapes filled out the page she was using. She was  
growing impatient, wishing the time would fly by faster.

Later, she sat in one of her classes, lathargically staring out the window. To  
her surprise, a tall, lone figure walked by the sidewalk she had  
been looking down at. She recognized his lanky stature, and his cropped, strawberry-blond  
hair. Her eyes widened in horror.

When the bell resonated through the hallways, she bolted from her seat and  
raced down to the sidewalk outside, where the guy had been standing.  
She admitted that although it looked like Valentine, he was wearing  
very un-Valentine like clothing. However, she still raced around the courtyard,  
searching for him. Her heart sank as she realized he was not there anymore.  
Scared, she ran for the bus back to the apartment.

Helena burst up the stairs and down the hallway to her room. As the door  
banged, she stood alone, greeted by an empty room.

"Valentine! Valentine, get out here now!" Her voice strained as she whispered.

"What?" He replied as the right side of the closet door opened.

"I told you that you can't leave my room!"

"But I didn't." His head poked out.

"I saw you! You were outside my school!"

"Helena, I promise, I did not step a foot outside this room."

"But I saw..." She trailed off, then realized something.

"What?" He asked in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"Oh...nothing. Maybe it wasn't you."

"Hmmph. Well if that's all done, can I please get out or  
do something other then sit in this bloody cramped closet?"

"Sure. First we have to clean you up."

She lead him carefully into the bathroom across the way. Taking off  
his mask Valentine stood in front of the mirror, perplexed. Helena  
grabbed a small washcloth, and was lathering it with soap. She started  
scrubbing his face.

"Ow, be gentle." His mouth twisted in irritation.

"Sorry." She slowed down, and wiped the paint off.

Finally, it was all cleaned off. Valentine poked his cheeks,  
inspecting his skin.

"Right, now to get you some decent clothes."

"What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?"

"They don't look right for my world. I bought you some more  
appropriate things. Here." She handed him a bag with a pair of jeans  
and a shirt. She waited outide the bathroom door, and then knocked after  
a couple of minutes. Valentine opened it, and to her shock, looked  
almost like the kid she had seen outide of her classroom. However,  
the shirt he had on was inside out.

"Let me help you fix that." She helped him take the shirt over his head,  
and began to turn it out the other way. Looking down at the shirt, Helena  
blushed a little as she glanced at Valentine's chest from the corner of  
her eye. He wasn't extremely buff; in fact he was more on the skinny side.  
She handed back the shirt, and he put it on.

"Not bad. But I do have to say green is just not my color." He quipped.

"Alright. So, in order for this to work, we'll have to wait until my  
parents leave, and drop out the window..."

"Oh really?" Valentine remarked happily.

Later, as Helena sat in her room and Valentine napped in the closet, her mother came up and opened the door.

"Almost circus time. You ready?"

"Yeah. Mum, I'll meet you at the fairgrounds in a little bit, I have to  
go...pick some books at the library."

"Alright, just make sure your not late." Her mother said, winking at her. "That would be a tragedy."

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

As soon as Helena heard her parents leave, she went over to the closet.

"Hey! Valentine! Wake up!" Helena whispered loudly, and nudged open the closet doors.

"Huh...what..." mumbled Valentine.

"It's time to go to the circus."

"Circus? Count me in!" He perked up and got to his feet.

When Helena closed and locked the door to the apartment, she and Valentine walked off into the alley behind the apartment complex.

It was dark, save for some spots of light from the street lamps on the concrete wall behind them. The sound of their footsteps echoed off the walls of the alley.

"So when do I get to show off my skills?" Valentine asked.

"As soon as my parents meet you and decide if you are really as talented as you say you are." Helena laughed.

"I see. So are we there yet?"

"No..."

Soon they arrived at the seaside park where the circus was set up.

Helena pulled Valentine aside a tent flap as a stilt-walking clown walked passed.

"C'mon, this way!"

They worked their way to Helena's trailer, and went inside.

"Alright, hold on a minute, and don't touch anything."

She swept together a curtain around her as she jumped on her bed. She changed into a leotard.

Valentine scanned around the trailer, looking at costumes and mirrors until was looking at the curtain. He caught himself staring at an opening in the curtain, where he saw

the curving lines of Helena's bare back.

Embarrassed at his longing to look at her , he spun around and pretended to look at the peeling wallpaper on the wall of the trailer.

Helena finally popped out from behind the curtain, wearing a sparkly green leotard.

"Valentine, what are you doing?"

"Um...nothing...just looking." He replied nervously.

"C'mon, lets go."

They nonchalantly strode out of the trailer, past a line of customers at the ticket booth.

"This way." The ducked under a flap of the tent, surrounded by animal trainers and clowns practicing for the show.

Helena saw her parents talking to a sword-swallower, and walked over to them.

"Helena! Just in time. Who might this be?" Her mother asked.

"This is , uh, my friend Va...Victor, he goes to my school. He's a juggler."

Valentine smiled weakly and waved.

"A juggler? Well then, let's see some jugglin', ey?" said Helena's father.

Valentine took three blue juggling balls out of his pocket, and began doing a simple maneuver.

"Nice." Her father remarked encouragingly.

He then started to do an over-the head technique, and suddenly took out another ball, causing his hands to go into a blur

as he rapidly picked up the speed of his juggling.

"Spectacular! Fantastic! Look at that!" Helena's father cried out.

"You are very talented, Mr. Victor. Perhaps you'd like to join us in tonight's performace? Think you could improvise?"

Helena's mother nudged him and gave him a wink.

"Definitely, I would be honored." Valentine replied, smiling at Helena.

The show went without a hitch that night, and Valentine was able to match the talents of Helena's father and the other performers. The

crowd went crazy, and the tent was packed like never before. After the show was over and the patrons went home, Helena went with her parents, and instructed Valentine to follow them home without being seen.

Back at the apartment, Helena quietly listened to her parents going to bed, and seconds later heard a soft tap at the window. It was Valentine, hanging on to the windowsill

with all his strength.

Pulling him up and over through the window, they both collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

When they got to their feet, Helena embraced him, and squeezed him tight.

"That was amazing! I think that was the best show we've ever done!" She squealed with delight.

"Yeah?" Valentine replied.

"And tomorrow night will be even better!" She proclaimed.

"Helena..." He pulled away for a second. "I don't think there can be a tomorrow night."

She paused, stunned. Then a sorrowful look came across her face.

"Helena, I can't keep living in your closet. They're bound to notice me some time."

"Yes...I know.." She said disappointingly.

"But you'll come back, right? To visit?"

"It'll always be on my mind." He leaned towards her, and they kissed a small while.

As they separated, Helena opened a drawer and took out the Mirrormask. Placing it in his hands, she kissed him on the forehead.

"I guess this is goodbye, then." He said quietly.

"Stay out of trouble." She sighed, small tears forming behind her eyes.

"You too. No harmin' helpless animals just for the sake of fashion." He winked.

With one last look, he pulled the mask to his face, paused, and in a bright white flash, he had vanished.

The empty room soon filled with a sadness that pressed heavily into Helena's mind.


End file.
